Transplantation of human neural stem/progenitor cells (hNSPCs) is a promising method to regenerate tissue from damage and recover function in various neurological diseases including
brain ischemia. Galectin-1(Gal1) is a
lectin that is expressed in damaged brain areas after
ischemia. Here, we characterized the detailed Gal1 expression pattern in an animal model of
brain ischemia. After
brain ischemia, Gal1 was expressed in reactive astrocytes within and around the infarcted region, and its expression diminished over time. Previously, we showed that infusion of human Gal1
protein (hGal1) resulted in functional recovery after
brain ischemia but failed to reduce the volume of the ischemic region. This prompted us to examine whether the combination of hNSPCs-
transplantation and stable delivery of hGal1 around the ischemic region could reduce the ischemic volume and promote better functional recovery after
brain ischemia. In this study, we transplanted hNSPCs that stably overexpressed hGal1 (hGal1-hNSPCs) in a model of unilateral focal
brain ischemia using Mongolian gerbils. Indeed, we found that
transplantation of hGal1-hNSPCs both reduced the ischemic volume and improved deficits in motor function after
brain ischemia to a greater extent than the
transplantation of hNSPCs alone. This study provides evidence for a potential application of hGal1 with hNSPCs-
transplantation in the treatment of
brain ischemia.