Adult neurogenesis of epidermal neural crest stem cells (EPI-NCSC) in hippocampus of Alzheimer's rat model

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterised by progressive neuronal loss in the hippocampus. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of transplanting epidermal neural crest stem cells (EPI-NCSC) into the hippocampus in vivo and to assess adult neurogenesis and total granule cell number in the hippocampus of an Alzheimer’s rat model after a single injection of EPI-NCSCs. Fourteen days after a bilateral injection of β-amyloid 1–40 into the hippocampus, 10 AD model rats received an intra-hippocampal injection of EPI-NCSCs; the cells were obtained from the vibrissa hair follicle of the rat, cultured, labelled with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and suspended in normal saline. Y-Maze and single trial passive avoidance tests were used to show any learning and memory deficit. Nestin staining was performed in vitro. Double staining of BrdU–GFAP and BrdU–β??? was undertaken to study survival and differentiation of the grafted cells. Cell proliferation and differentiation were observed in all part of hippocampus in the double-stained histological sections. Total granular cell number was estimated to be more per hippocampus in the rats receiving the transplanted cells compared to the AD control group. We observed that rats with hippocampal damage made significantly more errors than control rats on the Y-maze. We showed that transplanted EPI-NCSCs survived and differentiated into neurons and glial cells. Total granule cell number in the treatment group was equal to the control group. Cell proliferation and migration tends to end in the dentate gyrus and the other part of hippocampus. Transplantation of EPI-NCSCs into the hippocampus might differentiate into neurons or induce neurogenesis.