Transplantation of olfactory bulb-derived olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) promotes motor functional recovery in rats with acute spinal cord injury, possibly by Nogo-A expression changes at the injury site. The present study transplanted OECs derived from the olfactory mucosa (OM) of rats. OM-derived OEC (OM-OEC) transplantation significantly reduced the increase of Nogo-A protein and mRNA expression caused by spinal cord injury, supporting the hypothesis that OM-OECs improve spinal cord regeneration by reducing Nogo-A expression.