Effect of Repeated Graft of Fetal Mesencephalic Cells in 6-Hydroxydopamine Rat Model of Hemiparkinsonism

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: In this experimental study, authors evaluated the effect of repeated graft of the fetal midbrain cells on rat model of hemiparkinsonism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following injection of the 6-hydroxydopamine into striatum, we examined the behavior (turning response to amphetamine and apomorphine) at 2, 4 and 8 weeks. Their turning behavior persisted until 8 weeks after lesion making. Only those with turning behavior of more than average 6.2turns/minute by amphetamine test were selected for transplantation. Three different methods of transplantation were assigned into three groups and compared with each other to evaluate their efficiencies in improving behavioral responses. In first method, the volume of the transplanted cells were equivalent to that of one fetal midbrain. The volume of the transplanted cells were twice as much as that of one fetal midbrain in a group with second method. The last group consisted of repeated transplantation. Here, we transplanted the same amount of fetal midbrain cells as the in group 2 with two divided doses in one month interval. RESULTS: The second and third group improved from amphetamine test significantly(p<0.05), whereas first group failed to show any significant improvement from same test. The results from second and third group were not significantly different from each other. CONCLUSION: This results suggest that transplantation of two volumes of the fetal midbrain is needed to improve the turning behavior of this model of parkinsonism. This volume can be tansplanted at once or it may be transplanted in two divided volumes with time interval, with similar effect.