Transplantation of neural stem cells that overexpress SOD1 enhances amelioration of intracerebral hemorrhage in mice

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that intraparenchymal transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) ameliorates neurological deficits in animals with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, massive grafted cell death following transplantation, possibly caused by a hostile host brain environment, lessens the effectiveness of this approach. We focused on the effect of oxidative stress induced by hemoglobin against grafted NSCs and showed genetic manipulation to overexpress copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase (SOD1), which is a specific antioxidant enzyme that counteract superoxide anions, enhances survival of grafted NSCs and accelerates amelioration of ICH. Our results suggest that enhanced antioxidative activity in NSCs improves efficacy of stem cell therapy for ICH.