Phenotypical analysis of adult rat olfactory ensheathing cells on 3-D collagen scaffolds

Olfactory ensheathing cell (OEC) transplantation is a promising or potential therapy for spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the effects of injecting OECs directly into SCI site have been limited and unsatisfied due to the complexity of SCI. To improve the outcome, proper biomaterials are thought to be helpful since these materials would allow the cells to grow three-dimensionally and guide cell migration. In this paper, we have studied the behavior of OECs in two-dimensional (2-D) condition as well as on three-dimensional (3-D) collagen scaffolds by analyzing their phenotypes such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, morphology, and gene activities of some neurotrophic factors and myelin proteins. OECs proliferation rate was increased on 3-D collagen scaffolds compared to the 2-D culture condition. OECs on 3-D collagen scaffolds also showed less apoptosis. In addition, OECs on 3-D collagen scaffolds maintained the original spindle-shape morphology and P75NTR gene activity. NGF, BDNF, and PLP were found to be upregulated in OECs cultured on 3-D collagen scaffolds by the semi-quantitative RT-PCR approach. The results suggested that 3-D collagen scaffolds provide suitable environments for the OECs to maintain their morphology as well as several important functional phenotypes and all these could be helpful for the effective treatment of SCI.