Combined fetal neural transplantation and nerve growth factor infusion: effects on neurological outcome following fluid-percussion brain injury in the rat

Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate the histological and behavioral impact of fetal neural transplantation with and without neurotrophin infusion in rats subjected to traumatic brain injury using a clinically relevant model of lateral fluid-percussion brain injury. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats received lateral fluid-percussion brain injury of moderate severity (2.1-2.3 atm). Twenty-four hours after injury, minced fetal cortical grafts (E16) were stereotactically transplanted into the site of injury cavity formation (in 32 rats). Ten control animals received injections of saline. A third group of 29 animals that received transplants also underwent placement of a miniosmotic pump (immediately after transplantation) to continuously infuse nerve growth factor (NGF) directly into the region of graft placement for the duration of the experiment. A fourth group of eight animals underwent transplantation of fetal cortical cells that had been dissociated and placed in suspension. Animals were evaluated at 72 hours, 1 week, and 2 weeks after injury for cognitive function (using the Morris water maze), posttraumatic motor dysfunction, and transplant survival and morphology (using Nissl and modified Palmgren's silver staining techniques). Robust survival of whole-tissue transplants was seen in 65.5% of animals and was not increased in animals receiving NGF infusion. Animals receiving transplants of cell suspension had no surviving grafts. Brain-injured animals receiving transplants showed significant cognitive improvements compared with controls at the 2-week evaluation. Significantly improved memory scores were seen at all evaluation times in animals receiving both NGF and transplants compared with injured controls and compared with animals receiving transplants alone at the 72-hour and 1-week evaluations. Neurological motor function scores were significantly improved in animals receiving transplants alone and those receiving transplants with NGF infusion. Histological evaluation demonstrated differentiation of grafted cells, decreased glial scarring around transplants when compared with control animals, and the presence of neuronal fibers bridging the interface between graft and host. This study demonstrates that fetal cortical cells transplanted into the injured cortex of the adult rat can improve both posttraumatic cognitive and motor function and interact with the injured host brain.

Transplantation of GABAergic neurons but not astrocytes induces recovery of sensorimotor function in the traumatically injured brain

“…Transplanted minced fetal cortical grafts (E16) have been shown to significantly improve neuromotor and cognitive functions following TBI in rats [26]. Ipsilateral and contralateral transplantation of NSCs showed significantly improved motor functions [20,24].…”

Liposome-mediated NGF gene transfection following neuronal injury: potential therapeutic applications

“…52 Recent studies have shown that administration of exogenous neurotrophic factors can reduce spatial memory deficits in rats following TBI. 11,12,44,45 Although administration of exogenous proteins has proven therapeutically beneficial in animal models, the limitations imposed by protein degradation and the bloodbrain barrier restrict the clinical utility of these approaches. There is a need to develop long-term delivery of therapeutic levels of NGF into CNS as a therapy for neuronal injury.…”

“…6,7,11,19,[42][43][44][45][46] Exogenous administration with NGF has been shown to spare septal cholinergic neurons from death and degeneration following injury. [1][2][3]47 NGF increases ChAT activity both in vitro 32,48 and in intact animals.…”

Environmental enrichment increases progenitor cell survival in the dentate gyrus following lateral fluid percussion injury

“…Following FP injury, transplantating embyronic tissue into the hippocampus attenuates cell death [72] and improves neuromotor and cognitive function [71]. Endogenous neural stem cells may also be capable of replacing lost neurons [1,15,29,48,49,58,66].…”