AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON STRIATAL TISSUE TRANSPLANTS INTO BRAIN OF RAT MODEL OF HUNTINGTON DISEASE / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

Huntington disease (HD) rat model was produced by injection of ibotenic acid (IA) into the head of right caudate putamen (CP). One month post lesion, fetal (El5-17) striatal cell suspension was implanted into the lateral ventricle ipsilateral to the lesion, and the rats were devided into four groups; group I normal control rats (n=8), group II model control rats (n=10), group III simple transplanted with fetal striatal cell suspension, (n=10, ST group), group IV grafted with striatal cell suspension containing laminin (n=6, LST group). Three and six months after grafting, active avoidence test was carried, the results showed that there were significant differences bewteen grafted groups and model control group at three and six months, and no significant differences between LST group and normal group either in three or six months whereas between ST group and normal group no significant difference only can be found at six months. Overnight locomotor activity was measured in each group at six months post grafting, the results indicated that the locomotor behaviour of model control group was hyperactive whereas the overnight hyperactivity was compensated completely in the grafted groups. After the behavioural test, the rat brain was investigated morphologically. The head of the lesioned CP was atrophied and the graft was located at the dorsal part of the atrophied CP and projected into the lateral ventricle. The volume of the graft area of LST group was larger than that of ST group. ChAT, GABA and Leu-ENK positive neurons were found in the graft area of the two grafted groups and their shape and size were similar to those of nomal CP. The processes of AChE positive neurons in the graft of LST group were more and longer than that in the graft of ST group. The results indicated that the fetal striatal neurons implanted into the lateral ventricle of HD model rats not only can survive and grow well but also ameliorate the behavioural deficits of the IA lesioned rats and the laminin may supports the neuronal suvival and growth in vivo.