Objective: To study whether human neural progenitor cells can differentiate into neural cells in vivo and improve the recovery of injured spinal cord in rats.Methods: Human neural progenitor cells were transplanted into the injured spinal cord and the functional recovery of the rats with spinal cord contusion injury was evaluated with Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor scale and motor evoked potentials. Additionally, the differentiation of human neural progenitor cells was shown by immunocytochemistry.Results: Human neural progenitor cells developed into functional cells in the injured spinal cord and improved the recovery of injured spinal cord in both locomotor scores and electrophysiological parameters in rats.Conclusions: Human neural progenitor cells can treat injured spinal cord, which may provide a new cell source for research of clinical application.