Transplantation of mononuclear cells from bone marrow in a rat model of Huntington's disease

• Published in: Journal of Neurorestoratology Vol. 4; pp. 95 - 105
• Main Authors: Serrano, Teresa, Pierozan, Paula, Alberti, Esteban, Blanco, Lisette, de la Cuétara Bernal, Karelys, González, María, Pavón, Nancy, Lorigados, Lourdes, Robinson-Agramonte, María, Bergado, Jorge
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 01-12-2016
• Subjects: Fluoro-Jade C (FJC); Glial fibrilar acid protein (GFAP); Huntington´s disease (HD); Mononuclear bone marrow cells (mBMC); Neuronal nuclear marker (NeuN); Quinolinic acid (QA); Transplant
• ISSN: 2324-2426; 2324-2426
• DOI: 10.2147/JN.S118435

Teresa Serrano,1 Paula Pierozan,2 Esteban Alberti,1Lisette Blanco,1 Karelys de la Cuétara Bernal,1 María E González,1 Nancy Pavón,1 Lourdes Lorigados,1 María A Robinson-Agramonte,1 Jorge A Bergado1 1International Center for Neurological Restoration (CIREN), La Habana, Cuba; 2Department of Biochemistry, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Abstract: This article investigates the possible effects of transplantation of mononuclear bone marrow cells (mBMCs) to ameliorate or prevent the behavioral impairments and the cellular damage observed in a quinolinic acid (QA) model of Huntington's disease. mBMCs were isolated using a standard procedure and implanted within the QA-lesioned striatum. Behavior was explored using motor (beam test) and memory (object recognition and Morris water maze) tests. Morphology was evaluated using conventional histology (cresyl violet), bisbenzimide (to evaluate cell vitality), and immunohystochemistry to identify neurons or glia. mBMC-transplanted animals showed improvements in motor coordination (beam test). Regarding memory, object recognition was significantly improved in transplanted animals, while spatial memory (Morris water maze test) was not severely affected by QA and, therefore, the results after transplantation were significant only in the probe-trial retention test. In samples taken from the animals that participated in the behavioral tests, a preserved morphology of striatal neurons and a reduced glial reaction indicated a possible neuroprotective effect of the transplanted mBMCs. A parallel study confirmed that the transplanted mBMCs have a long survival period (1year follow-up). The results presented confirm the possibility that mBMC transplantation may be a viable therapeutic option for Huntington's disease. Keywords: mononuclear bone marrow cells, Huntington's disease, quinolinic acid, transplant, Fluoro-Jade C, glial fibrillary acidic protein, neuronal nuclear marker