Enhancement of survival of stored dopaminergic cells and promotion of graft survival by exposure of human fetal nigral tissue to glial cell line--derived neurotrophic factor in patients with Parkinson's disease. Report of two cases and technical considerations.
The authors have studied the ability of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) to promote survival of human fetal dopaminergic tissue after a storage period of 6 days and subsequent implantation into the human putamen. The results indicate that GDNF promotes survival of stored dopaminergic cells. Cells stored without GDNF had a 30.1% decrease in survival time compared with those exposed to GDNF. Two patients with Parkinson's disease received bilateral putaminal implants of fetal dopaminergic cells exposed to GDNF for 6 days and showed enhancement of graft survival as assessed by positron emission tomography scanning. A mean increase of 107% in putaminal fluorodopa uptake from baseline values was observed 12 months postgrafting.
Mendez
I
I
Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University and Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. mendez@is.dal.ca
Dagher
A
A
Hong
M
M
Hebb
A
A
Gaudet
P
P
Law
A
A
Weerasinghe
S
S
King
D
D
Desrosiers
J
J
Darvesh
S
S
Acorn
T
T
Robertson
H
H
D000368:Aged; D016380:Brain Tissue Transplantation / Q000473:pathology; D002452:Cell Count; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation / Q000473:pathology; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology; D008875:Middle Aged; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009457:Neuroglia; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D011699:Putamen / Q000601:surgery; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology / Q000637:transplantation; D014021:Tissue Preservation; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000032:analysis
D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C043437:fluorodopa F 18; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D004298:Dopamine