Human fetal substantia nigra grafted to the dopamine-denervated striatum of immunosuppressed rats: evidence for functional reinnervation.
Human fetal substantia nigra tissue, obtained following therapeutic termination of first trimester pregnancies, was grafted to cavities overlying the striatum in ciclosporin-treated rats whose nigrostriatal dopamine system had been removed unilaterally by 6-hydroxydopamine. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunocytochemistry revealed large numbers of surviving human substantia nigra neurons that matured and formed TH-positive nerve fibers reinnervating the host rat striatum. Apomorphine-induced rotational behavior in grafted animals was reduced by 70-80% in optimal cases 3-5 months after grafting. Thus human fetal dopamine neurons can correct functional deficits in dopamine-denervated rat hosts.
D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000502:physiology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology; D005333:Fetus; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D006892:Hydroxydopamines; D016627:Oxidopamine; D010302:Parkinson Disease, Secondary / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy*; D051381:Rats; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000201:enzymology / Q000637:transplantation*; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
D006892:Hydroxydopamines; D016627:Oxidopamine; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D004298:Dopamine