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Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are increasingly being studied as a source of cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases, and several groups have reported their beneficial effects on Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study using AD model mice (APdE9), we found that transplantation of MSC via the tail vein improved spatial memory in the Morris water maze test. Using electron paramagnetic resonance imaging to evaluate the in vivo redox state of the brain, we found that MSC transplantation suppressed oxidative stress in AD model mice. To elucidate how MSC treatment ameliorates oxidative stress, we focused on amyloid-␤ (A␤) pathology and microglial function. MSC transplantation reduced A␤ deposition in the cortex and hippocampus. Transplantation of MSC also decreased Iba1-positive area in the cortex and reduced activated ameboid shaped microglia. On the other hand, MSC transplantation accelerated accumulation of microglia around A␤ deposits and prompted microglial A␤ uptake and clearance as shown by higher frequency of A␤-containing microglia. MSC transplantation also increased CD14-positive microglia in vivo, which play a critical role in A␤ uptake. To confirm the effects of MSC on microglia, we co-cultured the mouse microglial cell line MG6 with MSC. Co-culture with MSC enhanced A␤ uptake by MG6 cells accompanied by upregulation of CD14 expression. Additionally, co-culture of MG6 cells with MSC induced microglial phenotype switching from M1 to M2 and suppressed production of proinflammatory cytokines. These data indicate that MSC treatment has the potential to ameliorate oxidative stress through modification of microglial functions, thereby improving A␤ pathology in AD model mice.

The loss of paramagnetism of nitroxide radicals due to reductant reactions in biological systems, places a fundamental time constraint on their application as an imaging probe in in vivo EPR imaging studies. However, in vitro studies of the newly synthesized tetraethyl-substituted piperidine nitroxide radical demonstrated high resistivity to paramagnetic reduction when exposed to ascorbic acid, a common reduction agent in biological systems. In this work we investigated the use of these nitroxides as an imaging probe in EPR imaging of small rodents. 2,2,6,6-Tetraethyl-piperidine nitroxide (TEEPONE) is not highly soluble in aqueous media, thus a lipid-based emulsion system of lecithin was used to solubilize TEEPONE. The obtained solution was homogenous and with low viscosity, allowing smooth intravenous injection into mice tail vein. Acquired three dimensional (3D) EPR images of mouse head clearly showed TEEPONE distributed in all tissues including brain tissues, with an average measurable signal half-life of more than 80 min, thus demonstrating high resistivity to reduction due to ascorbic acid in in vivo animal studies, and the potential for use of this compound in in vivo studies of animal model systems.

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