Survival and differentiation of basic fibroblast growth factor gene modified bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells following vein transplantation in cerebral ischemia model rats validated by double immunofluorescence staining / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) can accelerate the bone marrow mesenchymai stem cells (BMSCs) proliferation and differentiation into nerve cells, which is considered as a mitogen of glial cells.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the survival and differentiation of bFGF gene modified BMSCs transplanted on rat models of cerebral ischemia by double immunofluorescence staining, and to study the differentiation trend of BMSCs into neuron-like cells and glial cells.DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: The randomized control animal experiment was completed in the central laboratory of Experimental Animal Center of Central South University from July 2005 to March 2006.MATERIAL: Fifty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups at random sham operation group (n=10), cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury group (n=10), BMSCs group (n=i5) and bFGF modified BMSCs group (n=15). METHODS: Except sham operation group, rats in the other three groups were prepared for local cerebral ischemia-reperfusion models. Then BMSCs or bFGF modified BMSCs were intravenously transplanted into cerebral ischemic rats, and the same volume of DMEM were injected in the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Survival rate and differentiation of grafted cells were observed by 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU)-NeuN, and BrdU-glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) double immunofluorescence staining; the neurological scores and infarction volumes in each group. RESULTS: At 7 days after implantation, the number of BrdU/NeuN-positive cells and BrdU-GFAP-positive cells in the bFGF modified BMSCs group was higher than those on the BMSCs group (P < 0.05), but there were no significant differences in the co-expression cells by double immunofluorescence staining between the two groups (P > 0.05). At 7 days following reperfusion, neural function of cerebral ischemia rats were improved and infarction volume was reduced in both BMSCs group and the bFGF modified BMSCs group, and bFGF modified BMSCs group was superior to BMSCs group. CONCLUSION: BMSCs modified by bFGF can survive in cerebral ischemic region and differentiate into neuron and glial cells, which are more proper for repairing nerves.