Mesenteric Neural Stem Cell for Chronic Spinal Cord Injury: A Literature Review

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a common and potentially life-threatening condition with no established treatment to treat the primary injury. Mesenteric neural stem cell (NSC) therapy is a promising stem cell therapy to treat primary SCI in the chronic phase. We aimed to review the literature narratively to describe current evidence regarding mesenteric NSC in SCI. Primary SCI refers to tissue damage that occurs at the time of trauma that leads to the death of neuronal cells. In chronic SCI, the ability of neuronal regeneration is compromised by the development of gliotic scar. NSC is a stem cell therapy that targeted SCI in the chronic phase. Enteric NSC is one of the sources of NSC, and autologous gut harvesting in the appendix using endoscopic surgery provides a more straightforward and low-risk procedure. Intramedullary transplantation of stem cell with ultrasound guiding is administration technique which offers long-term regeneration. Mesenteric NSC is a promising stem cell therapy to treat chronic SCI with low risk and easier procedure to isolate cells compared to other NSC sources.