Amniotic mesenchymal stem cells display neurovascular tropism and aid in the recovery of injured peripheral nerves

Recently, we reported that human amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AMMs) possess great angiogenic potential. In this study, we determined whether local injection of AMMs ameliorates peripheral neuropathy. AMMs were transplanted into injured sciatic nerves. AMM injection promoted significant recovery of motor nerve conduction velocity and voltage amplitude compared to human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells. AMM implantation also augmented blood perfusion and increased intraneural vascularity. Whole-mount fluorescent imaging analysis demonstrated that AMMs exhibited higher engraftment and endothelial incorporation abilities in the sciatic nerve. In addition, the higher expression of pro-angiogenic factors was detected in AMMs injected into the peripheral nerve. Therefore, these data provide novel therapeutic and mechanistic insights into stem cell biology, and AMM transplantation may represent an alternative therapeutic option for treating peripheral neuropathy.