Study on the Safety of Human Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cell Transplantation in Young Animals and Its Efficacy on Myelination

Abstract

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), which can differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes during embryonic development, are an important potential source for myelin repair or regeneration. To date, OPCs from human sources (hOPCs) remain limited. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the safety and remyelination capacity of hOPCs developed in our laboratory by transplanting them into the lateral ventricles of Sprague-Dawley rats of different ages. The toxicity, biodistribution, and tumor formation abilities of the injected hOPCs were examined by evaluating rats' vital signs, developmental indicators, neural re exes, along with hematological, immunological, and pathological assessments. In addition, the hOPCs were transplanted into the corpus callosum of shiverer mice to verify cell myelination e cacy.Overall, our results showed that transplanted hOPCs into young mice showed no toxicity against their organ function or immune system, engrafted only in the brain, and caused no tissue proliferation or tumor formation. In terms of e cacy, the transplanted hOPCs formed myelin in the corpus callosum, alleviated the trembling phenotype of shiverer mice, and promoted normal development. The transplantation of hOPCs is safe and can effectively form myelin in the brain, thereby providing a theoretical basis for the future clinical transplantation of hOPCs.

Intranasal Administration of Undifferentiated Oligodendrocyte Lineage Cells as a Potential Approach to Deliver Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells into Brain

“…In 2004, Windrem et al [ 62 ] implanted fetal and adult human OPCs directly into the corpus callosum of mice, and also to lysolecithin-induced lesions [ 63 ]. Webber et al [ 64 ] injected OPCs from rats in to the cortex of rats with periventricular leukomalacia, and Zhou et al [ 65 ] implanted adult human OPCs directly into the corpus callosum and the lateral ventricles of mice, observing that the cells were able to migrate and distribute themselves across the CNS. In a study by Zhong et al [ 66 ], intrathecal administration of human OPCs to neonatal rats with ischaemic white matter lesions promoted remyelination.…”