OBJECTIVE: To propose an experimental model for transplantation of fetal cells from the nervous system of Wistar rats to the site of spinal cord injury in adult rats, to enable their survival and integration for research protocols that identify other factors of regeneration and functional recovery following spinal cord trauma. METHODS: Twenty adult rats were submitted to laminectomy and a 5mm incision was made, using an optical microscope, In fifteen of these rats, the site of the spinal cord lesion was transplanted with cells from the fetal rat central nervous system; the rats were monitored for two days, then the spinal cord was removed for histological analysis. RESULTS: In 60% of cases, the transplanted cells remained viable in the site of the lesion; the inflammatory response in the transplanted group was always greater than in the control group. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the potential use of this research model for use in the transplantation of fetal cells that remain viable two days after their implantation.
Spinal cord injury; Fetal cells; Rats
