Background: We speculated impacts of BM-MSCs and UC-EPCs on reversal of hepatic injury induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Fifty adult rats were divided into five groups: control group, CCl4A group, CCl4B group, CCl4/BM-MSCs group and CCl4/UC-EPCs group.
Blood samples were driven to measure concentration of albumin and ALT. Quantitative expression of HGF, TGF-β, MMP-2, and VEGF were assessed by PCR. Histological and immunohistochemistry examination of the liver tissue were performed.
Results: There was elevating albumin (p < .05) and reducing ALT (p < .05) concentrations in groups treated with BM-MSCs and UC-EPCs compared to untreated CCL4A&B groups.
UC-EPCs treated group have significantly higher MMP-2 and VEGF (p < .01) genes expression than BM-MSCs treated group. Furthermore, UC-EPCs were more valuable than BMMSCs in increasing gene expression of HGF (p < .05) and immunohistochemistry of α-SMA and Ki-67 (p < .01). BM-MSCs have significantly lower TGF-β (p < .00) compared to UC-EPCs.
Conclusion: This study highlighted on liver regeneration role of both UC-EPCs and BM-MSCs in liver fibrosis.
Implantation of the clinical-grade human neural stem cell line, CTX0E03, rescues the behavioral and pathological deficits in the quinolinic acid-lesioned rodent model of Huntington’s disease
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a devastating, autosomal-dominant neurodegenerative disease, for which there are currently no disease-modifying therapies. Clinical trials to replace the damaged striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) have been attempted in the past two decades but have met with only limited success.
In this study, we investigated whether a clonal, conditionally immortalized neural stemcell line (CTX0E03), which has already shown safety and signals of efficacy in chronic ischemic stroke patients, could rescue deficits seen in an animal model of HD. After CTX0E03 transplantation into the quinolinic acid-lesioned rat model of HD, behavioral changes were measured using the rotarod, stepping, and staircase tests.
In vivo differentiation and neuronal connections of the transplanted CTX0E03 cells were evaluated with immunohistochemical staining and retrograde tracing with Fluoro-Gold.
We found that transplantation of CTX0E03 gave rise to a significant behavioral improvement compared with the sham- or fibroblast-transplanted group.
Transplanted CTX0E03 formed MSNs (DARPP-32) and GABAergic neurons (GABA, GAD65/67) with BDNF expression in the striatum, while cortically transplanted cells formed Tbr1-positive neurons. Using a retrograde label, we also found stable engraftment and connection of the transplanted cells with host brain tissues. CTX0E03 transplantation also reduced glial scar formation and inflammation, as well as increasing endogenous neurogenesis and angiogenesis.
Overall, our results demonstrate that CTX0E03, a clinical-grade neural stemcell line, is effective for preclinical test in HD, and, therefore, will be useful for clinical development in the treatment of HD patients.