Intra-arterial administration of cell-based biological agents for ischemic stroke therapy

Introduction: Ischemic stroke is becoming a primary cause of disability and death worldwide. To date, therapeutic options remain limited focusing on mechanical thrombolysis or administration of thrombolytic agents. However, these therapies do not promote neuroprotection and neuro-restoration of the ischemic area of the brain.

Areas covered: This review highlights the option of minimal invasive, intra-arterial, administration of biological agents for stroke therapy. The authors provide an update of all available studies, discuss issues that influence outcomes and describe future perspectives which aim to improve clinical outcomes. New therapeutic options based on cellular and molecular interactions following an ischemic brain event, will be highlighted.

Expert opinion: Intra-arterial administration of biological agents during trans-catheter thrombolysis or thrombectomy could limit neuronal cell death and facilitate regeneration or neurogenesis following ischemic brain injury. Despite the initial progress, further meticulous studies are needed in order to establish the clinical use of stem cell-induced neuroprotection and neuroregeneration.     

Reviving through human hippocampal newborn neurons

Recent contradictory data has renewed discussion regarding the existence of adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) in humans, i.e., the continued production of new neurons in the brain after birth. The present review revisits the debate of AHN in humans from a historical point of view in the face of contradictory evidence, analyzing the methods employed to investigate this phenomenon. Thus, to date, of the 57 studies performed in humans that we reviewed, 84% (48) concluded in favor of the presence of newborn neurons in the human adult hippocampus. Besides quality of the tissue (such as postmortem intervals below 26 hours as well as tissue conservation and fixation), considerations for assessing and quantify AHN in the human brain require the use of stereology and toxicological analyses of clinical data of the patient.     

Changes of Unit Discharge of the Medullary Respiratory Neurons during Apnea

Changes of the neuronal discharge of 128 medullary respiratory unitswere recorded and studied during the period of expiratory apnea induced reflexlyby intracarotid sinus injection of sodium citrate in rabbits.Generally,theneuronal discharge of inspiratory units began,stopped and recovered at the sametime with those of the phrenic nerve.But,about 5% the phase-spanninginspiratory units near the obex showed a different time course with the dischargeof the phrenic nerve.They fired continuously in a low frequency while thephrenic nerve was quiet.When increasing progressively and approaching to acertain level,the firing rate increased abruptly and at the same time phrenic nervebegan to fire.So it seemed that they acted as the pacemaker of inspiration.Comparison of the cycle-triggered histograms(CTH)of these inspiratory unitswith those of phrenic nerve showed clearly the above mentioned phasicrelationship.They started firing before the phrenic nerve,but they reached theirmaximal rate and then declined and stopped quite in accordance with the phrenicnerve.It is,therefore,reasonable to assume that the central mechanism of theswitch from expiratory apnea to inspiration may originate from this kind ofneurons.Most of the expiratory units show tonic discharges during the period of apneawith a higher discharge rate than normal and then the rate decreases just beforerecovery of phrenic firing.In addition,small portion of the expiratory units weredepressed as the phrenic discharge ceased.The function of these two differentkinds of neurons in the mechanism of development of respiratory rhythm is,apparently,different.     

Formation of Neurons in the Sexually Dimorphic Anteroventral Periventricular Nucleus of the Preoptic Area of the Rat: Effects of Prenatal Treatment with Testosterone Propionate

An examination was made of neurogenesis in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPv) of the preoptic area of the rat using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), a thymidine analog, and a BrdU-specific antibody. Cells in the AVPv of adult rats were labeled with the antibody when BrdU was injected into pregnant rats once during day 13 to 18 of gestation, but not during day 10 to 12 nor 19 to 20 of gestation nor on postnatal day 1, indicating that neurogenesis of the AVPv occurs during a limited period from day 13 to 18 of gestation. Next, to examine the effects of androgen on neurogenesis, BrdU was injected once on day 15 into pregnant rats that also received injections of testosterone propionate (TP). The number of BrdU-labeled cells in the AVPv was similar in control female and male fetuses and female fetuses from pregnant rats that received daily injections of TP during days 14 to 16, when fetuses were examined on day 17 of gestation. These results suggest that the neurogenesis that was recognized by labeling with BrdU was not affected by the treatment with TP. On day 21 of gestation, BrdU-labeled cells in the AVPv of control male fetuses and female fetuses that received TP during days 14 to 18 were fewer in number than those in female fetuses of the control group, whereas treatments with TP during days 14 to 16 and during days 17 to 18 did not cause any significant decrease in number of BrdU-labeled cells. These findings support the hypothesis that elimination of a population of cells, for example, by cell death as described previously, is enhanced in male fetuses and in female fetuses treated with TP repetitively.     

A neurotrophic model for stress-related mood disorders.

There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that stress decreases the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in limbic structures that control mood and that antidepressant treatment reverses or blocks the effects of stress. Decreased levels of BDNF, as well as other neurotrophic factors, could contribute to the atrophy of certain limbic structures, including the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex that has been observed in depressed subjects. Conversely, the neurotrophic actions of antidepressants could reverse neuronal atrophy and cell loss and thereby contribute to the therapeutic actions of these treatments. This review provides a critical examination of the neurotrophic hypothesis of depression that has evolved from this work, including analysis of preclinical cellular (adult neurogenesis) and behavioral models of depression and antidepressant actions, as well as clinical neuroimaging and postmortem studies. Although there are some limitations, the results of these studies are consistent with the hypothesis that decreased expression of BDNF and possibly other growth factors contributes to depression and that upregulation of BDNF plays a role in the actions of antidepressant treatment.     

Effects of exercise on neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus and ability of learning and memory after hippocampus lesion in adult rats

Objective To explore the effects of exercise on dentate gyrus (DG) neurogenesis and the ability of learning and memory in hippocampus-lesioned adult rats. Methods Hippocampus lesion was produced by intrahippocampal microinjection of kainic acid (KA). Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was used to label dividing cells. Y maze test was used to evaluate the ability of learning and memory. Exercise was conducted in the form of forced running in a motor-driven running wheel. The speed of wheel revolution was regulated at 3 kinds of intensity: lightly running, moderately running, or heavily running. Results Hippocampus lesion could increase the number of BrdU-labeled DG cells, moderately running after lesion could further enhance the number of BrdU-labeled cells and decrease the error number (EN) in Y maze test, while neither lightly running, nor heavily running had such effects. There was a negative correlation between the number of DG BrdU-labeled cells and the EN in the Y maze test after running. Conclusion Moderate exercise could enhance the DG neurogenesis and ameliorate the ability of learning and memory in hippocampus-lesioned rats.     

Nitric oxide and gamma-aminobutyric acid as regulators of neurogenesis in the brain of adult mammals: Models of seizure activity

New neurons are known to be generated in the brain of adult mammals throughout their entire life in the area of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus. The regulatory mechanisms of neurogenesis are complex and poorly understood. Numerous studies performed during the last decade have shown that the intensity of generation of new cells in the germinative regions of the brain is significantly influenced by various environmental factors. Pronounced changes in neurogenesis were also found in the models of various pathologies of the central nervous system (such as neurodegeneration, brain ischemia, and epilepsy). This review is focused on the regulation of neurogenesis in the brain of adult mammals in the course of experimental epilepsy. The involvement of nitric oxide and gamma-aminobutyric acid in the regulation of the proliferation and differentiation of brain cells during seizure activity is discussed.     

NOS抑制剂对成年大鼠弥漫性脑损伤后海马齿状回神经发生的影响

目的观察一氧化氮合酶(NOS)抑制剂对成年大鼠弥漫性脑损伤后齿状回神经发生的影响。方法建立成年弥漫性脑损伤(DBI)大鼠模型,采用5-溴脱氧尿核苷(BrdU)标记分裂细胞及免疫组织化学方法比较弥漫性脑损伤后2、4、6、8、12 d时NOS抑制剂干预组大鼠与相应对照组大鼠之间海马齿状回神经前体细胞的增殖速度。结果成年大鼠弥漫性脑损伤后应用7-硝基引唑(7-NI) 进行干预可抑制脑损伤后第2、4、6天时齿状回神经前体细胞的增殖(P<0.05)。应用氨基胍进行干预可明显减少大鼠弥漫性脑损伤诱导的各个时间点齿状回BrdU免疫阳性细胞数目(P<0.01)。结论NOS可能是弥漫性脑损伤后成年大鼠海马齿状回神经发生过程中一个重要的调节因子,不同类型的NOS在弥漫性脑损伤后神经发生过程中的不同阶段可能扮演了不同的角色。     

肢体远隔缺血期适应联合后适应促进大鼠缺血性脑卒中模型神经发生的作用及机制

目的 探讨肢体远隔缺血期适应(per-conditioning,PerC)联合后适应(post-conditioning,PostC)对缺血性脑卒中后神经再生的作用,并明确PerC联合PostC对脂肪酸β-氧化(fatty acid β-oxidation,FAO)限速酶——肉毒碱棕榈酰转移酶(carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1A,CPT1A)的影响。方法 对成年雄性SD大鼠进行大脑中动脉闭塞(middle cerebral artery occlusion,MCAO)造模,MCAO模型后30 min进行肢体远隔缺血期适应治疗(PerC),再灌注24 h后重复进行肢体远隔缺血适应(PostC),1次/d,直到取材。再灌注14 d后对大鼠进行神经功能评分,通过免疫组织化学染色检测室管膜下区(subependymal ventricular zone, SVZ)神经再生情况,通过酶联免疫吸附测定(enzyme linked immunosorbent assay,ELISA)法检测CPT1A的表达。结果 与MCAO组及PerC/PostC组比较,PerC+PostC组大鼠,身体不对称运动行为评分降低,神经干细胞的数量以及向梗死区迁移的细胞数量增加。Pearson相关性分析显示,神经干细胞的数量与神经功能呈负相关(r=-0.917 9, P<0.0001)。然而,迁移到基底节区的神经干细胞的凋亡数量在各组之间差异无统计学意义。机制研究显示,PerC+PostC组CPT1A的蛋白水平显著增加。结论 PerC联合PostC治疗能够通过增加神经干细胞的数量改善神经功能,神经干细胞的脂肪酸氧化可能是其促进神经干细胞迁移的机制之一。