Improvement in Signs of Parkinson's Disease in Rats Following Transplantation of Embryonic Stem Cells

Purpose: Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disease produced by the death of dopaminergic neurons, and the response to current treatments is varied. It is important to develop a model for the evaluation of ES cells as an alternative model for treatment. Materials and Methods: The model for PD was developed in rats. First, ES cells were transplanted into experimental models in three groups: treated by RA, non-treated by RA and transfected by BDNF gene; the fourth group received culture media. Then the ability of the cells to improve Parkinson's disease was evaluated.The cells were labeled by Brdu. Histological and immunohistochemical evaluations were done at day 5, and behavioral evaluation was carried out at week 8th after transplantation. Results: At day 15, histological evaluation by H&E and crystal violet stainings indicated that the transplanted cells had differentiated into neural cells and integrated into the host tissue. Examination of transplanted cells with the electron microscope showed, neurons and oligodendrocyte. In addition, the Immunohistochemical result was positive for tyrosine hydroxylase, which is an important marker for. dopaminergic neurons, and confirmed the differentiation of transplanted cells to dopaminergic neurons. At day 5, the embryonic stem cells that were labeled with Brdu and expressed SSEA1 antigen were detected in the transplantation area. At week 8th after transplantation, the results of histological and Immunohistochemical investigation were confirmed by behavioral test, indicating improvement in three groups, i.e., treated by RA, non-treated by RA and transected by BDNF gene when compared with the control group. Conclusion: Our results indicated that CCE embryonic stem cells are an appropriate cell line for transfection and differentiation to dopaminergic neurons, which can be used for research based on cell and gene therapy.