Evaluation of Epidermal Neural Crest Stem Cells in Organotypic Spinal Cord Slice Culture Platform.

Among various strategies employed for spinal cord injury, stem cell therapy is a potential treatment. So far, a variety of stem cells have been evaluated in animal models and humans with spinal cord injury, and epidermal neural crest stem cells represent one of the attractive types in this area. Although these multipotent stem cells have been assessed in several spinal cord injury models by independent laboratories, extensive work remains to be done to ascertain whether these cells can safely improve the outcome following human spinal cord injury. Among the models that closely mimic human spinal cord injury, the in vitro model of injury in organotypic spinal cord slice culture has been identified as one of the faithful platforms for injury-related investigations. In this study, green fluorescent protein-expressing stem cells were grafted into injured organotypic spinal cord slice culture and their survival was examined by confocal microscope seven days after transplantation. Data obtained from this preliminary study showed that these stem cells can survive on top of the surface of injured slices, as observed on day seven following their transplantation. This result revealed that this in vitro model of injury can be considered as a suitable context for further evaluation of epidermal neural crest stem cells before their application in large animals.

Differential expression of RFamide-related peptide, a mammalian gonadotrophin-inhibitory hormone orthologue, and kisspeptin in the hypothalamus of Abadeh ecotype does during breeding and anoestrous seasons.

Gonadotrophin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) is a novel hypothalamic neuropeptide that was discovered in birds as an inhibitory factor for gonadotrophin release. RFamide-related peptide (RFRP) is a mammalian GnIH orthologue that inhibits gonadotrophin synthesis and release in mammals through actions on gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurones and gonadotrophs, mediated via the GnIH receptor (GnIH-R), GPR147. On the other hand, hypothalamic kisspeptin provokes the release of GnRH from the hypothalamus. The present study aimed to compare the expression of RFRP in the dorsomedial hypothalamus and paraventricular nucleus (DMH/PVN) and that of kisspeptin in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the female goat hypothalamus during anoestrous and breeding seasons. Mature female Abadeh does were used during anoestrus, as well as the follicular and luteal phases of the cycle. The number of RFRP-immunoreactive (-IR) neurones in the follicular phase was lower than in the luteal and anoestrous stages. Irrespective of the ovarian stage, the number of RFRP-IR neurones in the rostral and middle regions of the DMH/PVN was higher than in the caudal region. By contrast, the number of kisspeptin-IR neurones in the follicular stage was greater than in the luteal stage and during the anoestrous stage. Irrespective of the stage of the ovarian cycle, the number of kisspeptin-IR neurones in the caudal region of the ARC was greater than in the middle and rostral regions. In conclusion, RFRP-IR cells were more abundant in the rostral region of the DMH/PVN nuclei of the hypothalamus, with a greater number being found during the luteal and anoestrous stages compared to the follicular stage. On the other hand, kisspeptin-IR neurones were more abundant in the caudal part of the ARC, with a greater number recorded in the follicular stage compared to the luteal and anoestrous stages.