Functional dopaminergic neurons derived from human chorionic mesenchymal stem cells ameliorate striatal atrophy and improve behavioral deficits in Parkinsonian rat model.

Abstract

Human chorionic mesenchymal stem cells (HCMSCs) have been recognized as a desirable choice for cell therapy in neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Due to invaluable features of HCMSCs including their immunomodulatory and immunosuppressive properties, easily accessible and less differentiated compared to other types of MSCs, HCMSCs provide a great hope for regenerative medicine. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of HCMSCs-derived dopaminergic (DA) neuron-like cells with regard to PD. Initially, HCMSCs were isolated and underwent a 2-week DA differentiation, followed by in vitro assessments, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunocytochemistry, patch clamp recording, and high-performance liquid chromatography. In addition, the effects of implanted HCMSCs-derived DA neuron-like cells on the motor coordination along with stereological alterations in the striatum of rat models of PD were investigated. Our results showed that under neuronal induction, HCMSCs revealed neuron-like morphology, and expressed neuronal and DA-specific genes, together with DA release. Furthermore, transplantation of HCMSCs-derived DA neurons into the striatum of rat models of PD, augmented performance. Besides, it prevented reduction of striatal volume, dendritic length, and the total number of neurons, coupled with a diminished level of cleaved caspase-3. Altogether, these findings suggest that HCMSCs could be considered as an attractive strategy for cell-based therapies in PD.

• Authors: Vahid Ebrahimi, Mahdi Eskandarian Boroujeni, Abbas Aliaghaei, Mohammad Amin Abdollahifar, Abbas Piryaei, Hossein Haghir, Yousef Sadeghi
• Journal: Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) (Anat Rec (Hoboken)) Vol. 303 Issue 8 Pg. 2274-2289 (08 2020) ISSN: 1932-8494 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 31642188 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2019 American Association for Anatomy.

Topics

• Animals
• Behavior, Animal (physiology)
• Corpus Striatum (pathology)
• Dopaminergic Neurons (transplantation)
• Mesenchymal Stem Cells (cytology)
• Motor Activity (physiology)
• Neurogenesis (physiology)
• Parkinson Disease, Secondary (pathology, physiopathology, surgery)
• Rats