ObjectiveTo systemically review the efficacy and safety of Schwann cells (SCs) or activated Schwann cells (ASCs) transplantation in the treatment of traumatic spinal-cord injury (TSCI) in rats models. MethodsRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) about the effects of SCs and ASCs transplantation for TSCI in rats were searched in PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library (Issue 12, 2014), CBM, CNKI, WanFang Data and VIP from inception to December 2014. Two reviewers independently screened literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. ResultsA total of 14 RCTs involving 510 rats were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that:compared with the control group, the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) scores in the SCs or ASCs transplantation group were superior in 4 weeks (SMD=2.31, 95%CI 1.48 to 3.13, P<0.000 01), 8 weeks (SMD=3.93, 95%CI 3.06 to 4.81, P<0.000 01) and 12 weeks (SMD=6.15, 95%CI 4.30 to 8.00, P<0.000 01) after surgery. The BBB scores in the SCs or ASCs transplantation combined with other therapies group were also better in 4 weeks (SMD=1.06, 95%CI 0.44 to 1.68, P=0.000 8), 8 weeks (SMD=2.26, 95%CI 1.57 to 2.96, P<0.000 01) and 12 weeks (SMD=1.49, 95%CI 0.72 to 2.25, P<0.000 01) after surgery. Compared with the SCs group, the BBB score in the ASCs transplantation group were superior in 4 weeks (SMD=4.31, 95%CI 3.50 to 5.13, P<0.000 01) and 12 weeks (SMD=5.44, 95%CI 3.99 to 6.89, P<0.000 01) after surgery. No significant difference was found in mortality between the transplantation group and the control group. ConclusionCurrent evidence indicates that SCs and ASCs can promote the recovery of motor function in the rats with TSCI. More functional recoveries can be obtained in ASCs transplantation compared with SCs transplantation. Due to limited quality of the included studies, the above conclusion should be verified by conducting more large-scale, high quality RCTs.