Effect of bone marrow stromal cell transplantation on neurologic function and expression of VEGF in rats with focal cerebral ischemia

Abstract

There is evidence that the transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells into rat models of cerebral ischemia reduces ischemic damage; however, the mechanism remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed to assess the effect of transplantation of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) on neurologic function and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia. The left middle cerebral artery of adult Wistar rats was occluded for 90 min using a nylon thread, followed by reperfusion for 1 h. hBMSCs labeled with 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) were stereotaxically injected into the ischemic boundary zone. Behavioral analysis using the Neurological Severity Score (NSS) was conducted on days 1, 3, 7 and 28, and a histologic evaluation was performed simultaneously. VEGF was detected by immunofluorescence staining and western blot analysis. Fifty rats were divided equally into five groups: Normal control, sham-operated, operated (no transplantation), Dulbecco’s medium Eagle’s medium (DMEM)-injected (received only serum-free DMEM), and hBMSC-transplanted. The hBMSC-transplanted group showed significantly improved behavioral recovery compared with the operated and DMEM-transplanted groups on days 3, 7 and 28. Histological examination showed that transplanted cells migrated from the injection site into nearby areas including the cortex. Expression of VEGF was significantly greater in the hBMSC group compared with the other four groups on each assessment day. The expression of VEGF was found to be beneficial for functional recovery following cerebral ischemic injury and hBMSC transplantation stimulated the expression of VEGF. Transplantation of BMSCs may be a promising therapeutic strategy for treating cerebral infarction.

Delivery of human mesenchymal adipose-derived stem cells restores multiple urological dysfunctions in a rat model mimicking radical prostatectomy damages through tissue-specific paracrine mechanisms

“…Importantly, human cells were effective in rats, without immunosuppressive therapy. Consistent with our observations, benefits from allogeneic or xenogeneic MSC in immunocompetent animal models have been reported for various conditions including UI and ED , as well as cerebral ischemia , muscular dystrophy , myocardial infarction , corneal injury , and type 1 diabetes . Whether the beneficial effects of MSC on SUS and penile repair occur because they exhibit immunosuppressive properties capable of protecting them from this system remains unclear and requires investigation.…”

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Effects of BDNF-Transfected BMSCs on Neural Functional Recovery and Synaptophysin Expression in Rats with Cerebral Infarction

“…Besides, BMSCs have inhibitory actions on inflammatory responses by exacerbating ischemic damage and expressing various neurotrophic and growth factors which have autocrine and paracrine effects after transplantation [21]. BMSC transplantation can improve functional recovery after CI and BMSCs can stimulate the host brain to express trophic factors including vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and BDNF, which can help alleviate brain damage [22,23].…”

Neocortical tissue recovery in severe congenital obstructive hydrocephalus after intraventricular administration of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells

“…2f). VEGF is one of the most effective trophic factors inducing angiogenesis, thus contributing to the recovery of ischemic conditions [64][65][66]. The secretion of these neurotrophic factors by BM-MSC and the neighbor reactive astrocytes could create an optimal environment.…”