Treatment of hereditary spastic paraplegia with umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell infusion: Report of 2 cases and review of the literature

Objective To observe the clinical effect and safety of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells（UC-MSC） infusion in treatment of hereditary spastic paraplegia（HSP）. Methods Two patients with HSP were infused with（2-6）×10⁷ UC-MSC through the vein or injected into the sheath by lumbar puncture.The 2 patients were followed up for more than one year after treatment during which their clinical symptoms and various indexes were observed and analyzed. Results The clinical symptoms of patients were obviously improved after infusion of UC-MSC.The muscle tonus of lower extremities was significantly reduced.The patients could walk with stable steps independent of crutches and aid of other persons.Their biochemical indexes became normal with no severe complications and side effects.The patients were followed up for 1 year during which no recurrence occurred. Conclusion Infusion of UC-MSC can achieve rather good short-term outcome in HSP patients by improving their clinical symptoms and delaying the progression of HSP.