Application and challenge of Schwann cell transplantation in spinal cord injury and clinical trial.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can lead to sensory, motor, and autonomic dysfunction, and even neuropathic pain, seriously affecting the physical and mental health of patients and bringing a huge financial burden to society and families. In recent years, cell transplantation technology has rapidly entered people's horizons and has been recognized by different studies in the field of tissue repair and regeneration. Schwann cells (SCs) are a type of glial cells that make up peripheral nerves. Their transplantation can promote SCI repair and functional recovery. The functional mechanisms of SCs as cell replacement therapy for repairing SCI include promoting axon regeneration and myelination, secreting multiple neurotrophic factors for neuroprotection, immunoregulation, and anti-inflammation, and inhibiting glial scar formation. In addition, cell combination therapy technology includes combining other types of cells or biomaterials to enhance the activity and function of SCs, which can produce synergistic therapeutic effects in SCI treatment. In clinical trials, SC transplantation is a safe and feasible treatment strategy and has certain therapeutic effects on patients with SCI. SC transplantation can improve some sensory, motor, and autonomic nervous functions of patients. However, SCs are currently in the preliminary exploration stage of clinical trials, and there are many problems and challenges in the extensive development and application of clinical trials. Therefore, here, we fully discussed the current functional mechanism of SCs in SCI repair, as well as the current status and challenges in clinical trials.