Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) transplantation can improve neurological function in cerebral ischemic rats. However, few studies have reported this mechanism.
OBJECTIVE: To probe into the mechanisms of BMSCs transplantation on the recovery of neurological functions in the rat brain after focal cerebral ischemia.
METHODS: Male adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into 4 groups: sham-operated group, middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) group, vehicle group and MCAO+BMSCs group. Permanent focal cerebral ischemia models were established using the modified Longa’s method. BMSCs were injected into the lateral ventricle of MCAO+BMSCs group one day after right MCAO, and the same dose of PBS was given to the vehicle group.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A lot of microvessels proliferated in the injured cortex, reaching peak at 2 weeks. The microvessel density in the injured cortex of rats treated with BMSCs was higher than that of the MCAO group and the vehicle group (P < 0.01). The expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in brain tissues in the MCAO+BMSCs group was higher than that in the MCAO group and the vehicle group at 4, 7, 14 days after treatment (P < 0.01). These data suggest that BMSCs transplantation can improve neurological function in cerebral ischemic rats through promoting revascularization in the injured region.