The rodent olfactory systems comprise the main olfactory system for the detection of odours and the accessory olfactory system which detects pheromones. In both systems, olfactory axon fascicles are ensheathed by olfactory glia, termed olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), which are crucial for the growth and maintenance of the olfactory nerve. The growth-promoting and phagocytic characteristics ...

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) represent an interesting candidate for cell therapy and could be obtained from olfactory mucosa (OM-OECs) or olfactory bulbs (OB-OECs). Recent reports suggest that, depending on their origin, OECs display different functional properties. We show here the complementary and additive effects of co-transplanting OM-OECs and OB-OECs after lesion of a peripheral ner...

BACKGROUND After spinal cord injury (SCI), the formation of glial scar contributes to the failure of injured adult axons to regenerate past the lesion. Increasing evidence indicates that olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) implanted into spinal cord are found to migrate into the lesion site and induce axons regeneration beyond glial scar and resumption of functions. However, little is known abou...

The mechanism by which olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) exert their potential to promote functional recovery after transplantation into spinal cord injury (SCI) tissue is not fully understood, but the relevance of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) has been suggested. We evaluated the expression of MMPs in OECs in vitro and the MMP secretion by OECs transplanted in injured spinal cord in vivo u...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces a permanent disability in patients. To this day no curative treatment can be proposed to restore lost functions. Therefore, extensive experimental studies have been conducted to induce recovery after SCI. One of the most promising therapies is based on the use of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs). OECs can be obtained from either the olfactory bulbs (OB-OECs) o...

Introduction: Cell transplantation is one of the main strategies for spinal cord injury repair. As OECs of the olfactory mucosa can be obtained by simple biopsy in all individuals without affecting their smell sensation, OECs considered as a promising candidate for autologous transplantation in the nervous system injury, especially for spinal cord repair. Thereby in the current study OECs wer...

BACKGROUND The identification of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) has introduced new possibilities for cell-based treatments for stroke. We tested the angiogenic gene expression of outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs), an EPC subtype capable to shape vessel structures. METHODS OECs (at colony or mature stages) from ischemic stroke patients (n=8) were characterized using the RT2 P...

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) have been reported to migrate long distances and to bridge lesion sites, guiding axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI). To understand mechanisms of OEC migration and axonal guidance, we injected lamina propria OECs 1 mm rostral and caudal to C4 SCI sites. One month later, OECs formed an apparent migrating cell tract continuously extending from the...

AIMS Late-outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs) exist in blood and other organs. We aimed to explore whether and how OECs participate in re-endothelialization and prevent vascular neointima formation after injury. METHODS AND RESULTS Rabbit bone marrow OECs were cultured for 4 weeks to increase their numbers. Transfusion of autologous OECs (2 × 10⁶-1 × 10⁷/kg) soon after rabbit ear central arter...

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) migrate with olfactory axons that extend from the nasal epithelium into the olfactory bulb. Unlike other glia, OECs are thought to migrate ahead of growing axons instead of following defined axonal paths. However it remains unknown how the presence of axons and OECs influences the growth and migration of each other during regeneration. We have developed a rege...