Neuroprotection through delivery of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor by neural stem cells in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

ABSTRACT: Neural stem cells (NSCs) have been proposed as tools for treating neurodegeneration because of their capacity to give rise to cell types appropriate to the structure in which they are grafted. In the present work, we explore the ability of NSCs to stably express transgenes and locally deliver soluble molecules with neuroprotective activity, such as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). NSCs engineered to release GDNF engrafted well in the host striatum, integrated and gave rise to neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, and maintained stable high levels of GDNF expression for at least 4 months. The therapeutic potential of intrastriatal GDNF-NSCs grafts was tested in a mouse 6-hydroxydopamine model of Parkinson's disease. We found that GDNF-NSCs prevented the degeneration

SUBMITTER: Akerud P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6763865 | biostudies-literature | 2001 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature