Investigating the effects of adult neural stem cell transplantation by lumbar
puncture in transient cerebral ischemia
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Abstract
Stem cells have the ability to self renew and are therefore a good source for cell therapy following
ischemia. In this study, we transplanted adult rat neural stem cells (NSCs) by lumbar puncture (LP) to
investigate whether these cells can migrate and differentiate into neurons or glial cells, thereby improving
functional outcome in cerebral ischemia. Transient ischemia was induced in adult rats (n = 16) for
1 h. Three days after the induction of ischemia, NSCs obtained from the subventricular zone of adult
rats were injected into ischemic animals (n = 8) by LP at the level of L6–S1. Improved recovery of the
coordination of movement on the 1st, 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th days after the injury was examined by
the Rotarod test and compared with non-transplanted ischemic animals (n = 8). The presence of NSCs
in the brain tissue of the animals was examined by immunohistofluorscence and immunohistochemical
techniques. The coordination of movement in ischemic animals that received neural stem cells was
improved significantly (P < 0.05) compared with untreated ischemic animals. Cells labeled with PKH26
were observed in the ischemic area of brain tissue sections. The alkaline phosphatase test and immunohistochemical
techniques demonstrated a gathering of NSCs in the lateral ventricle. A number of cells
which expressed neuronal and astrocytic cell markers had migrated from the lateral ventricle to the subjacent
brain parenchyma. NSCs injected by LP were able to migrate to the ischemic tissue and differentiate
into neural-like cells. These differentiated cells may have improved the coordination in movement in the
ischemic animals injected with NSCs