Improved mouse sciatic nerve regeneration following lymphocyte cell therapy

Traumatic injury to the peripheral nervous system (PNS) is the most common cause of acquired nerve damage and impairs the quality of life of patients. The success of nerve regeneration depends on distal stump degeneration, tissue clearance and remodeling, processes in which the immune system participates. We previously reported improved motor recovery in sciatic nerve crush mice following adoptive transfer of lymphocytes, which migrated to the lesion site. However, lymphocyte activity and the nerve tissue response remain unexplored. Thus, in the present study, we evaluated sciatic nerve regeneration and T cell polarization in lymphocyte recipient mice. Splenic lymphocytes were isolated from mice 14 days after sciatic nerve crush and transferred to axotomized animals three days postinjury. Immediate lymphocyte migration to the crushed nerve was confirmed by in vivo imaging. Phenotyping of T helper (Th) cells by flow cytometry revealed an increased frequency of the proinflammatory Th1 and Th17 cell subsets in recipient mice at 7 days and showed that the frequency of these cells remained unchanged for up to 21 days. Moreover, nerve regeneration was improved upon cell therapy, as shown by sustained immunolabeling of axons, Schwann cells, growth-associated protein 43 and BDNF from 14 to 28 days after lesion. Macrophage and IgG immunolabeling were also higher in cell-transferred mice at 14 and 21 days following nerve crush. Functionally, we observed better sensory recovery in the lymphocyte-treated group. Overall, our data demonstrate that enhanced inflammation early after nerve injury has beneficial effects for the regenerative process, improving tissue clearance and axonal regrowth towards the target organs.