BACKGROUND

The therapeutic effects of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADSC) transplantation have been demonstrated in several models of central nervous system (CNS) injury and are thought to involve the modulation of the inflammatory response. However, the exact underlying molecular mechanism is poorly understood. Activation of the Jagged1/Notch signaling pathway is thought to involve inflammatory and gliotic events in the CNS. Here, we elucidated the effect of ADSC transplantation on the inflammatory reaction after spinal cord injury (SCI) and the potential mechanism mediated by Jagged1/Notch signaling pathway suppression.

METHODS

To evaluate the therapeutic effects of ADSC treatment and the potential inhibitory effects of ADSCs on Notch signaling, mice were subjected to contusion SCI, and GFP-labeled ADSCs were injected into the lesion site immediately after the injury. Locomotor function, spinal cord tissue morphology, and the levels of Notch-related proteins and proinflammatory transcripts were compared between groups. To validate the hypothesis that the therapeutic effects of ADSCs are partly due to Notch1 signaling inhibition, a Jagged1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) was injected into the spinal cord to knock down Jagged1/Notch signaling. Neuronal staining and analyses of microglia/macrophage activation and signaling pathways were performed.

RESULTS

We demonstrated that ADSCs survived in the injured spinal cord for at least 28 days without differentiating into glial or neuronal elements. ADSC treatment resulted in significant downregulation of proinflammatory mediator expression and reduced ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (IBA1) and ED-1 staining in the injured spinal cord, eventually improving functional recovery. The augmentation of the Jagged1/Notch signaling pathway after SCI was suppressed by ADSC transplantation. The inhibition of the Jagged1/Notch signaling pathway by Jagged1 siRNA resulted in decreases in SCI-induced proinflammatory cytokines and the activation of microglia and an increase in the survival of neurons. Furthermore, Jagged1 knockdown suppressed the phosphorylation of JAK/STAT3 in astrocytes following SCI.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study demonstrated that the therapeutic effects of ADSCs in SCI mice were partly due to Jagged1/Notch signaling pathway inhibition and a subsequent reduction in JAK/STAT3 phosphorylation in astrocytes.