Microtransplantation of whole ganglionic eminence cells ameliorates motor deficit, enlarges the volume of grafts, and prolongs survival in a rat model of Huntington's disease

Abstract

Studies have demonstrated that embryonic cell therapy is a potential approach for the treatment of Huntington's disease (HD). However, because of the limited resource of embryos, greater attention is needed in developing more efficient surgical techniques that not only enhance the therapy outcome but also avoid inefficient therapeutics of transplantation. In this study, we explored the curative effects of two different transplantation methods using a rat model of HD. Whole ganglionic eminence (WGE) cells or phosphate-buffered saline were transplanted into unilateral striatum of quinolinic acid (QA)-lesioned rats using microtransplantation instruments (with an outer diameter of 50 μm) or traditional transplantation instruments (with an outer diameter of 470 μm). Apomorphine-induced rotation test and adjusting step test were assessed after QA-induced lesion and 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks after transplantation. The expression of neuronal nuclei (NeuN), dopamine, cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein of molecular weight 32 kDa (DARPP-32), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was analyzed at 12 weeks after transplantation. We observed that microtransplanted rats performed better in the stepping test and had higher numbers of DARPP-32-positive cells compared with traditionally transplanted rats. Moreover, microtransplantation group showed lower GFAP expression surrounding the grafts in unilateral striatum and a higher survival rate posttransplantation compared with the traditional transplantation group. We conclude that microtransplantation is capable of enhancing therapeutic efficacy in the rat model of HD. This finding establishes the basis of an alternative transplantation strategy for treatment of HD.

Isoflurane enhances the malignant potential of glioblastoma stem cells by promoting their viability, mobility in vitro and migratory capacity in vivo

“…Tumour mass volumes were calculated using the sum of the tumour areas corrected for section thickness and sample frequency: tumour volume (mm 3 )=sum of areas (mm 2 )×20 μm×6. 25 To quantify the migratory potential capacity of U251-GSCs in vivo, migrating cells were measured from the centre of the tumour mass. A minimum of 150-200 migrating cells were counted for each animal.…”

Human Cerebrospinal Fluid Regulates Proliferation and Migration of Stem Cells Through Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1

“…Previous studies used hAMSCs and hfNPCs as vehicles to deliver therapeutic agents to brain tumors without oncogenisis occurring [8,38,39]. Moreover, these cell resources have also been reported to attenuate brain injury after neonatal stroke and have been used in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases [11,[40][41][42]. However, attempts to deliver these stem cells to specific sites including the CNS, typically face low efficiencies [4,43].…”