What’s New: This study investigates the neuroprotective mechanisms of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) in treating spinal cord injury (SCI) during the subacute stage. It specifically examines the effects on motor function recovery, the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway, apoptosis, and neurocan expression.

Importance: Understanding the action of SHED could enhance SCI treatment strategies and improve patient outcomes.

Contribution to Literature: The study demonstrates that SHED treatment significantly improves motor function from day 14 post-SCI and modulates the JAK/STAT3 pathway and astrocyte apoptosis, which are implicated in reducing astrogliosis and glial scar formation.

Results Summary:
– SHED treatment led to a significant improvement in motor function recovery as measured by the BBB score and the inclined plane method.
– Western blot analysis indicated a significant reduction in GFAP and phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) expression at day 10, but not at day 5 post-SCI.
– SHED did not affect iba-1 expression levels at either time point.
– Immunohistochemistry showed reduced p-STAT3 expression in GFAP-positive astrocytes at day 10 post-SCI with SHED treatment.
– SHED induced cleaved caspase 3 expression in astrocytes at the injury epicenter on day 10, but not on day 5.
– Neurocan expression was significantly decreased by SHED injection on day 10 post-SCI.

Conclusion: SHED contributes to neurological function improvement after SCI by reducing astrogliosis and glial scar formation, potentially through the apoptosis of astrocytes, between days 5 and 10 post-injury.