Intravenous umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell infusion for the treatment of combined malnutrition nonunion of the humerus and radial nerve injury

Nonunion and nerve injury are the most severe and common complications of bone fracture treatments. There is still no ideal therapy for these two complications. In this report, we first applied umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (UC-MSC) therapy to one patient with both nonunion and nerve injury, and observed the therapeutic effects. UC-MSCs were produced and expanded according to a clinical-grade technique using serum-free medium enriched in human platelet lysate. Flow cytometry was performed to evaluate the purity of UC-MSCs, which were then intravenously injected. At 60 days postinjection, clinical examinations were performed to evaluate the therapeutic effects. Compared with before treatment, the patient's nerve reflex was present, and their muscle tone and strength increased, and x-ray and electromyography analysis further showed that the fracture gap disappeared and the nerve conduction velocity increased with shorter latency and higher amplitude. Furthermore, the clinical evolution was favorable and no side effects were observed during the 1-year follow-up. Overall, this novel treatment might open up a new strategy for the treatment of bone fracture complications.