Abstract
Pleiotrophin (PTN) and GDNF expressions are enhanced in the dopamine (DA)-depleted striatum, and PTN as well as GDNF specifically promotes the survival of DAergic neurons in vitro. To investigate whether PTN promoted the survival of grafted DAergic neurons and how PTN effected on those cells, ventral mesencephalic donor cells were treated with PTN (100 ng/ml) and/or GDNF (500 ng/ml) during all procedure in cell preparation, and then they (3.0 x 104) were grafted into the striatum of hemi-parkinson model rats. In both PTN-treated and GDNF-treated groups, recovery of motor function (methamphetamine-induced rotation test) was better than non-treated controls. There were more surviving TH-positive cells in the striatum in PTN-treated group (188.4 ± 21.7, n=11) and GDNF-treated group (230.6 ± 18.0, n=9) compared to control (133.9 ± 12.3, n=15). In co-treated (PTN and GDNF) group, more prominent motor recovery and cell survival (273.9 ± 23.6, n=7) were found, showing that effects of PTN and GDNF on grafted DAergic neurons were additive. Activation of caspase-3 during cell preparation was inhibited in PTN-treated group (68.8 ± 7.4% of control, n=3). Even that cells were treated with PTN just before transplantation, recovery of motor function was better in PTN-treatment than non-treated controls. Data suggested that PTN had effect on donor cells for neural transplantation both in the phase of cell preparation and in the phase just after the grafting. [Jpn J Physiol 55 Suppl:S203 (2005)]
