Transplantation of Foetal Neural Stem Cells into the Rat Hippocampus During Trimethyltin-Induced Neurodegeneration

The present study investigates the survival andfate of neural stem cells/progenitor cells (NSC/NPCs) homograftedinto the hippocampus of rats treated with trimethyltin(TMT), a potent neurotoxicant considered a usefultool to obtain a well characterized model of neurodegeneration,to evaluate their possible role in the reparativemechanisms that accompany neurodegenerative events.NSC/NPCs expressing eGFP by lentivirus-mediatedinfection were stereotaxically grafted into the hippocampusof TMT-treated animals and controls. Two weeks aftertransplantation surviving NSC/NPCs were detectable in60% of TMT-treated animals and 30% of controls, while30 days after transplantation only 40% of TMT-treatedanimals showed surviving grafted cells, which wereundetectable in controls. At both times investigated, whilegrafted NSC/NPCs differentiated into neurons or astrocytescould be observed in addition to undifferentiated NSC/NPCs, we did not find evidence of structural integration ofgrafted cells into the main site of hippocampal lesionleading to appreciable repair.