title: Prolonged survival and expression of neural markers by bone marrow-derived stem cells transplanted into brain lesions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bone marrow-derived stem cell transplantation is a potentially viable therapeutic option for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We have isolated bone marrow stem cells by standard method. We then evaluated the survival of rats' bone marrow mononuclear cells implanted in rats' brain. The cells were extracted from rats' femurs, and marked for monitoring purposes by adenoviral transduction with Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). Labeled cells were implanted within the area of rats' striatum lesions that were induced a month earlier employing quinolinic acid-based method. The implants were phenotyped by monitoring CD34; CD38; CD45 and CD90 expression. Bone marrow stromal cells were extracted from rats' femurs and cultivated until monolayer bone marrow stromal cells were obtained. The ability of bone marrow stromal cells to express NGF and GDNF was evaluated by RT-PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Implanted cells survived for at least one month after transplantation and dispersed from the area of injection towards corpus callosum and brain cortex. Interestingly, passaged rat bone marrow stromal cells expressed NGF and GDNF mRNA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The bone marrow cells could be successfully transplanted to the brain either for the purpose of trans-differentiation, or for the expression of desired growth factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, International Center of Neurological Restoration, CIREN, Havana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Esteban
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alberti
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Los
authors.forename: Rocío
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: Jorge L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Fraga
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Serrano
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klonisch
authors.forename: Réne
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Macías
authors.forename: Lísis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: Lázara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: Karelys
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: de la Cuétara
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae; D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D016380:Brain Tissue Transplantation; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006085:Graft Survival; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D017378:Quinolinic Acid; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015415:Biomarkers; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D017378:Quinolinic Acid