Partial or complete coverage of experimental spina bifida by simple intra-amniotic injection of concentrated amniotic mesenchymal stem cells

PurposeWe sought to determine whether simple intra-amniotic delivery of concentrated amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (afMSCs) may elicit prenatal coverage of experimental spina bifida.MethodsTime-dated pregnant Sprague–Dawley dams (n=24) exposed to retinoic acid for the induction of fetal neural tube defects were divided in three groups. Group I had no further manipulations. Groups II and III received volume-matched intra-amniotic injections of either saline (Group II) or a suspension of syngeneic afMSCs labeled with green fluorescent protein (Group III) in all fetuses (n=202) on gestational day 17 (term=21–22 days). Animals were killed before term. Statistical comparisons were by ANOVA (P< 0.05).ResultsOf 165 fetuses viable at euthanasia, a spina bifida was present in 58% (96/165), with no significant differences in defect dimension across the groups (P= 0.19). However, variable degrees of coverage of the defect by a rudimentary skin confirmed histologically were only present in Group III (P< 0.001), in which donor afMSCs were documented, with no differences between Groups I and II (P= 0.98).ConclusionsAmniotic mesenchymal stem cells can induce partial or complete coverage of experimental spina bifida after concentrated intra-amniotic injection. Trans-amniotic stem cell therapy (TRASCET) may become a practical option in the prenatal management of spina bifida.