Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells attenuate post-cardiopulmonary resuscitation brain injury in rats via suppression of brain tissue apoptosis
LI Zhengmin
ZHENG Lanlan
LIU Yongfei
YUAN Chen
GAO Changjun
Abstract：Objective To investigate the effect of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells(hUC-MSCs)on ameliorating brain injury after cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR)in rats by inhibiting brain tissue apoptosis.Methods hUC-MSCs were extracted from umbilical cords of full-term puerperae and identified via qRT-PCR and differentiation assays(osteogenic,adipogenic,chondrogenic).Male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups:sham-operated group(Sham group),control group(CA group),and hUC-MSCs group.Rats underwent 8 min of asphyxia followed by CPR.The hUC-MSCs group received hUC-MSCs transplantation upon successful resuscitation,while the CA group received an equivalent volume of PBS.The 24-hour survival rate was calculated.Neurological deficit scores(NDS)were assessed at 24 h and 72 h post-resuscitation.Learning and memory abilities were evaluated using the Morris water maze.Neuronal morphology and survival were observed via Nissl staining,and cortical apoptosis was detected using TUNEL staining.Results Compared with the Sham group,both the CA and hUC-MSCs groups exhibited decreased NDS,significantly impaired learning and memory abilities,disorganized cortical cell morphology,reduced numbers of surviving neurons(P＜0.01),and increased apoptosis(P＜0.01)at 24 h and 72 h post-resuscitation.Compared with the CA group,the hUC-MSCs group showed an improved success rate of resuscitation,but there was no statistical significance.However,the hUC-MSCs group demonstrated significantly improved NDS at 24 h and 72 h post-resuscitation(P＜0.05),shorter escape latency on day 6 of the water maze test,significantly enhanced spatial exploration ability(P＜0.05),cortical cell morphology closer to the Sham group,increased numbers of surviving neurons,and reduced apoptosis.Conclusion hUC-MSCs ameliorate brain injury after CPR in rats,and their protective effect may be associated with the inhibition of brain tissue apoptosis.
Keywords：human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cellscardiopulmonary resuscitationcardiac arrestapoptosisbrain injuriesratsneurological deficitsspatial memory
Publication Date：2025-12-31
Online Publishing Date：2026-08-26(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 1594-1599 )