Pretreatment with
brain-derived neurotrophic factor (
BDNF) reduces ischemic damage after focal
cerebral ischemia, and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) were reported to ameliorate functional deficits after
stroke in rats. Here we investigate the synergistically
therapeutic effects of
BDNF gene-modified MSCs on
cerebral infarction. We transfected MSCs with the
BDNF gene using a lentivirus-based system and investigated whether the
BDNF-modified MSCs contributed to improved functional recovery in a rat transient
middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model. Compared to untreated rats, rats that received both MSCs and
BDNF-MSCs showed significantly more functional recovery. The difference in modified neurological severity score(mNSS) was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Recovery was better in
BDNF-MSCs than in MSCs (P < 0.001). At the second week and second month after the systemic delivery of blank vector-modified MSCs and
BDNF-modified MSCs, the treated rats exhibited more significant recovery than the control, including the accumulation and living of enhanced green fluorescence
protein (EGFP)-positive cells in the
infarct area and surrounding areas, neuron-like changes, expression of surface markers of neural cells, and a large amount of
BDNF expression in the
BDNF-MSCs-treated group. Our findings suggest that
BDNF-gene-modified rMSCs can migrate to surrounding areas of the
cerebral infarction lesion, differentiate into neural cells, and survive for extended periods. With the synergy of
BDNF, they may promote the recovery of the neurological function following
cerebral infarction and represent a new strategy for stem cell-based
therapy.