Evaluation of the retina and optic nerve after the use of stem cells for neurodegenerative disorders in an animal model

Objective: To study the neuroprotective and neuroregenerative response of adult mesenchymal cells (aMSCs) on retinal ganglion cells (RGC) and optic nerve (ON) in an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS) like experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE). Methods: We studied the changes that occurred in the retina and ON, analyzing the effect of an intravenous injection of aMSCs. Three groups were studied: healthy (control), sick (EAE) and sick treated with aMSCs (EAE-MSC). The animals were monitored using motor disability scales. The retinas and ONs were studied with optical microscopy, immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. Results: The results showed that after administration of intravenous aMSCs there was a lower loss of RGC, the average of RGC in the EAE group was of 0.0891 μm compared to 0.166 μm in the EAE-MSC group, with a statistically significant p value (p = 0.01). There was a reduction in the inflammatory cell response of the ON (7.99 cells/μm2 vs. 3.69 cells/μm2, p < 0.0001), a decrease of myelin loss (overall axonal damage was of 54% compared to 88%) and less axonal destruction (0.16745 axons/μm2 vs. 0.3598 axons/μm2 (p = 0.0251). Conclusions: In this study, we found that after the administration of aMSCs there was a lower loss of RGC, a decrease of myelin loss and a lower degree of inflammation in the ON. However, it would be advisable to expand the methodology to ensure an immunosuppressive and neuroprotective effect in this model.