Therapeutic effects of human mesenchymal stromal cells in G93A-SOD1 mouse model of ALS

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Therapeutic effects of human mesenchymal stromal cells in G93A-SOD1 mouse model of ALS . Oh, Se-Chul Dept. of biomedical science The Graduate School Hanyang University

Background : Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) a rapid progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by motor neuron death, leads to respiratory paralysis and death. Numerous therapeutic trials have been conducted with respect to pathogenic mechanisms such as glutamate toxicity, neurotrophic factor deficiency, calcium mediated toxicity, neuroinflammation; however, currently, no therapeutic strategy yields satisfactory results. Recently, therapy using stem cells was also suggested for ALS treatment. This study was performed to investigate the effect of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (hBM-MSCs) on ALS model mice with a G93A mutant SOD1 gene. Materials and Method : hBM-MSCs were transplanted into the cisterna magna of 60 day old Tg mice with ALS and a G93A SOD1 gene. The mice were evaluated based on symptom onset, motor activity and endpoint. Result : In the mice transplanted with hBM-MSCs, rotarod failure and survival time were significantly prolonged as compared with the control group; however, there was no effect on symptom onset. Conclusions : These data suggest that transplantation of hBM-MSCs into the cisterna magna is a potential therapeutic strategy for ALS.

Key words : Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Human mesenchymal stromal cells, Neurotrophic factor