title: Adrenocortical cell transplantation reverses a murine model of adrenal failure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although adrenal insufficiency can be managed with steroid replacement, transplantation of adrenocortical cells may represent a more definitive therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  An adrenal failure model was created by adding stress to mice that underwent staged bilateral adrenalectomy. Murine adrenocortical cells were seeded onto collagen sponges. The grafts were implanted under the renal capsule during the first adrenalectomy. Some mice had an additional graft placed next to the kidney. A contralateral adrenalectomy and a laparotomy were performed 1 week after the first adrenalectomy. Two weeks later, blood was collected for corticosterone measurement; and implants were retrieved for adrenal-specific messenger RNA analysis and histology. Mice that underwent the same procedures but received a graft without cells served as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Control group mortality was 100%. Mice that had only one cell-seeded implant had 42% survival, whereas mice that had 2 cell-seeded implants had 100% survival. Retrieved implants demonstrated viable cells and expression of adrenocortical genes. The plasma corticosterone concentration in animals that survived was similar to that in normal mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cells transplantation restored the adrenocortical function in these mice. Further optimization of this technique could bring a curative therapy to patients with adrenal insufficiency.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7098, USA.
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zupekan
authors.forename: James C Y
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Dunn
mesh_terms: D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000166:cytology*; D000309:Adrenal Insufficiency / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000818:Animals; D017690:Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D012313:RNA / Q000032:analysis; D011897:Random Allocation; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015996:Survival Rate; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting
chemical_list: D012313:RNA; D003345:Corticosterone