Clinical prospects for transplantation of OECs in the repair of brachial and lumbosacral plexus injuries: opening a door.

The reparative effects of olfactory ensheathing cells have largely been examined in lesions entirely within the CNS. There is, however, evidence that they can induce the ingrowth of severed dorsal root axons and increase the outgrowth of severed ventral root axons. The ingrowth of dorsal root axons results in reinnervation of appropriate regions in the spinal cord and dorsal column nuclei with restoration of electrical transmission and muscular control. This article discusses the further possibilities of these observations in rat studies and their potential translation to clinical injuries. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Understanding olfactory ensheathing glia and their prospect for nervous system repair.