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. 2022 Jul 29;95(1):18–33. doi: 10.1038/s41390-022-02208-3

Table 4.

Primary outcomes of the included studies.

Reference Functional outcome Participation Survival of the animals
Motor performance Cognitive performance Sensory function Social interaction
Test ↑↓↔ Test ↑↓↔ Test ↑↓↔ Test ↑↓↔
Cho et al. (2016);34 Korea Rotarod test 2 weeks post MSC: ↔; 8 weeks post MSC: ↑ only MSC-EE group NR NR NR NR
Grip strength test 2 weeks post MSC: ↔; 8 weeks post: ↑ only MSC-EE group
Ding et al. (2015)22 NR Morris water maze 21 days post injury: ↑ NR NR NR
Ding et al. (2017)23 Hanging wire 16, 22, and 28 days post injury: ↑ NR NR NR NR
Vertical pole test 16, 22, and 28 days post injury: ↑
Kim et al. (2012);35 Korea Rotarod test 26 and 27 days post injury: ↔; 28 days post injury: ↑ NR NR NR Survival at 28 days post injury; Sham control group =100%; MCAO-MC (vehicle) group = 40%; MCAO-MM (MSCs) group = 83%
Cylinder test 28 days post injury: ↔
Larpthaveesarp et al. (2021)37 Cylinder test P61, P62 postnatal:; ↑ MACO+7 d MSC; ↔ MACO+3 d MSC Novel object recognition P54: ↔ ↑only for MSC/EPO and EPO MCAO+Vehicle group = 89%; 3 d MCAO+MSCs = 100%; 7 d MCAO+MSCs = 80%
Open field test P59: ↔
Lee et al. (2010);36 Korea Rotarod test 14, 20, 30, and 40 days post MSCs: ↔ NR NR NR NR
Cylinder test Overall: ↑; 14 days post MSCs: ↔; 20 days post MSCs: ↑
Li et al. (2014);24 China Shuttle box test 1–5 days post MSCs: ↔ NR NR NR
Ohshima et al. (2015);40 Japan NR NR NR NR NR
Sakai et al. (2018);41 Japan Beam walk test 25 days post MSCs: ↑ NR NR NR NR
van Velthoven et al. (2017);38 USA Cylinder rearing test 28 days post injury: ↑ NR NR NR The survival rate at the end of the study is unclear; before the randomization of the treatment groups and 3 days after tMCAO the survival rate is reported to be 87%
van Velthoven et al. (2013);33 Netherlands Cylinder rearing test 14, 21, and 28 days post injury: ↑ at all timepoints NR NR NR Unclear by the end of the study; 87% post-MCAO and prior to randomization to the treatment groups
Adhesion removal test 28 days post injury: ↑
van Velthoven et al. (2010);29 Netherlands Cylinder rearing test 10, 21, and 18 days post injury: ↑ MSC-3: versus VEH; 21 and 28 days post injury: ↑ MSCS-3+10: versus VEH, versus MSC-3 NR NR NR Approx. 90% post HI insult
Rotarod treadmill 21 days post injury: ↑MSC-3, MSC-3+10 versus VEH 28 days: ↑MSC-3, MSC-3+10 versus VEH↑ MSC-3+10 versus MSC-3
van Velthoven et al. (2010);31 Netherlands Cylinder rearing test 21 and 28 days post injury: ↑ versus VEH NR NR NR Approx. 90% post HI insult
van Velthoven et al. (2010);32 Netherlands Cylinder rearing test 10 and 21 days post injury: ↑ versus VEH NR NR NR Approx. 90% post HI insult
van Velthoven et al. (2012);30 Netherlands Cylinder rearing test 21 and 28 days post injury: ↑ versus VEH NR NR NR NR
Wei et al. (2015);39 USA Adhesion removal test 10, 17, and 24 days post injury: ↑ versus saline NR Modified buried food-finding test 17 and 24 days after injury: ↑ Social interaction test 17 and 24 days after injury: ↑ versus Saline NR
Home-cage activity 17 and 24 days after injury: ↑ versus saline
Xia et al. (2010);25 China Modified neurological severity score: muscle status, abnormal movement Beam balance test reflex absence 14, 21, and 20 days post MSCs: ↑ overall score NR Modified neurological severity score: sensory tests 14, 21, and 20 days after MSCs: ↑overall score NR NR
Yang et al. (2020)28 NR Spatial version of the Morris water maze task 4 weeks post injury: ↑ NR NR NR
Zhang et al. (2014);26 China Longa scoring 6 h and 7 and 20 days post injury: ↑ Morris water maze task 4 weeks post injury: ↑ MSC-24 h versus MSC-72 h and VEH-24 h NR NR NR
Rotarod testing 20 days post injury: ↑
Zhou et al. (2015)27 NR Morris water maze test; object-in-place task 4 weeks post MSC:↑; 6 weeks old animals: ↑ NR NR NR

NR not reported, ↑ significant increase in performance, ↓ significant decrease in performance, ↔ no significant change in performance compared to control group, MSC mesenchymal stem cell administration, MCAO middle cerebral artery occlusion.