ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A variety of stem cells have been found to be effective in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease in rats. However, few reports have been reported on the treatment of Alzheimer's disease rats with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-modified human amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal stem cells. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of BDNF-modified human amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation on the learning and memory abilities of Alzheimer's disease rats. METHODS: Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control group (no treatment), model group (Alzheimer's disease model), stem cell transplantation group (human amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation+Alzheimer's disease model) and BDNF-modified stem cell transplantation group (BDNF-modified human amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation+Alzheimer's disease model), 12 rats in each group. Learning and memory of model rats were determined in a trisection radiation maze and immunohistochemical staining was used to determine the number of p75 positive neurons at 2 weeks after cell transplantation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The number of p75 positive neurons in the bevel zone and medial septal nucleus was ranked as follows: the model group < the stem cell transplantation group < the BDNF-modified stem cell transplantation group < the control group, and there were significant differences among groups (P < 0.05). The learning and memory abilities of the rats were ranked as follows: the model group < the stem cell transplantation group < the BDNF-modified stem cell transplantation group < the control group, and there were significant differences among groups (P < 0.05). In the BDNF-modified stem cell transplantation group, the number of learnings was negatively correlated with the number of p75 NGFR-positive neurons (P < 0.05), while the memory capacity was positively correlated with the number of p75 NGFR-positive neurons (P < 0.05). These findings reveal that human amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation can improve learning and memory abilities of Alzheimer's disease rats, and BDNF-modified human amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal stem cells can further improve this therapeutic effect.