Intracerebral Transplantation of Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improves Functional Recovery in a Rat Model of Chronic Ischemic Stroke

In this study, rats underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) to induce stroke followed by bone marrow aspiration and MSC expansion in a closed bioreactor. Four weeks later, brain MRI was obtained and autoMSCs (1 × 106, 2.5 × 106 or 5 × 106;n = 6 each) were stereotactically injected into the peri-infarct and compared to controls (MCAO only; MCAO + PBS;n = 6 –9). Behavior was assessed using the modified neurological severity score (mNSS). For comparison, an additional cohort of MCAO rats were implanted with 2.5 × 106 alloMSCs generated from a healthy rat. All doses of autoMSCs produced significant improvement (54 –70%) in sensorimotor function 60 days later. In contrast, alloMSCs improved only 31.7%, similar to that in PBS controls 30%. Quantum dot–labeled auto/alloMSCs were found exclusively at the implantation site throughout the post-transplantation period with no tumor formation on MRI or Ki67 staini ng of engrafted MSCs. Small differences in stroke volume and no differences in corpus callosum width were observed after MSC treatment. Stroke-induced glial reactivity in the peri-infarct was long-lasting and unabated by auto/alloMSC transplantation. These studies suggest that intracerebral transpla ntation of autoMSCs as compared to alloMSCs may be a promising treatment in chronic stroke.
Source: Translational Stroke Research - Category: Neurology Source Type: research