Brain protection by transamniotic stem cell therapy (TRASCET) in a model of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR)

Transamniotic stem cell therapy (TRASCET) with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been shown experimentally to reverse some of the effects of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), apparently by attenuating placental inflammation. Neurodevelopmental deficits driven by neuroinflammation are major complications of IUGR. We sought to determine whether MSC-based TRASCET also mitigates inflammation in the fetal brain.Pregnant Sprague-Dawley dams (n = 8) were exposed to alternating 12-hour hypoxia (10.5% OOverall survival was 75% (88/116). Gross brain weights were significantly decreased from normal in both the untreated and sham groups (both p0.001) and significantly increased in both TRASCET groups when compared to untreated and sham (p = 0.003 to0.001). TRASCET-Primed led to significantly lower levels of TNF-α and IL-1β compared to untreated (both p0.001) and sham (p = 0.017 and p = 0.011, respectively). Non-primed TRASCET led to significantly lower levels of TNF-α and IL-1β compared to untreated (p = 0.009 to0.001), but not sham (p = 0.133 and p = 0.973, respectively).Transamniotic stem cell therapy with primed mesenchymal stem cells reverses some of the central nervous system effects of intrauterine growth restriction in a rat model, possibly by modulating neuroinflammation.Animal and laboratory study.N/A (animal and laboratory study).