Embryonic stem cell transplantation for treatment of cerebrovascular diseases / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:Whether embryonic stem cel transplantation can be an effective method for treatment of cerebrovascular disease has become a hot spot. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect and feasibility of embryonic stem cel-differentiated neural precursor cel transplantation for the treatment of cerebrovascular disease. METHODS:The rat models of Parkinson’s disease, ischemic brain injury and vascular dementia were established and the embryonic stem cells were in vitro cultured and induced to differentiate into the neural precursor cells. The embryonic stem cel-differentiated neural precursor cells were transplanted into the rat brains with corresponding cerebrovascular disease, and then the rotational behavior changes, pathological changes in the brain tissue as wel as changes in the hippocampal structure and the number of nerve cells in the rats with cerebrovascular disease were observed. RESUTLS AND CONCLUSION:After the embryonic stem cel-differentiated neural precursor cells transplanted into the rat brains with Parkinson’s disease, the frequency of apomorphine-induced rotation was decreased and in the downward trend, while the striatal dopamine levels were significantly increased. After transplantation of embryonic stem cel-differentiated neural precursor cells into the rat brains with ischemic brain injury, the cells could survive for a long time, and then migrated and distributed in the injured hippocampus to form the hippocampal structure;the cells could differentiate into neurons, and the number of nerve cells in the injured hippocampus was significantly increased. The results indicate that the transplanted glial cel line-derived neurotrophic factor gene-modified embryonic stem cells can improve the learning and memory function of vascular dementia rats, enhance neural plasticity, and induce self-directed migration and differentiation into mature neurons.