Transplantation of Human Amniotic Epithelial Cells and Genetically Modified Cells for the Treatment of Parkinsonian Rats

Abstract: To investigate the long-term graft survival and the improvement of motor abnormalities after the intracerebral transplantation of the human amniotic epithelial cells (HAEC) and HAECs modified with human brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) cDNA in the rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD). Primary HAECs and BDNF genetically modified HAECs (HAECs/BDNF) transferred with lentiviral vectors were transplanted into the striatum of rats after the 6-hydroxydopamine lesion. We observed the rotational behavior and detected the graft survival by immunohistochemistry. The result showed that the asymmetric rotational behavior of transplanted PD rats significantly improved for 14 weeks while the initial recovery time of HAECs/BDNF group was shorter than that of HAECs group. A few cells could survive for 14 weeks in vivo， and some were BDNF， TH positive. In addition， the reactivity of astrocytes increased in the rat striatum of treatment groups. This study indicated that the behavioral amelioration of PD model rats can be achieved by transplanting HAECs and BDNF genetically modified HAECs. HAECs may be used as effective donor cells for the treatment of PD.

CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2007.03.0026