title: Bone marrow mononuclear cells reduce seizure frequency and improve cognitive outcome in chronic epileptic rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Epilepsy affects 0.5-1% of the world's population, and approximately a third of these patients are refractory to current medication. Given their ability to proliferate, differentiate and regenerate tissues, stem cells could restore neural circuits lost during the course of the disease and reestablish the physiological excitability of neurons. This study verified the therapeutic potential of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) on seizure control and cognitive impairment caused by experimentally induced epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Status epilepticus (SE) was induced by lithium-pilocarpine injection and controlled with diazepam 90 min after SE onset. Lithium-pilocarpine-treated rats were intravenously transplanted 22 days after SE with BMMCs obtained from enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) transgenic C57BL/6 mice. Control epileptic animals were given an equivalent volume of saline or fibroblast injections. Animals were video-monitored for the presence of spontaneous recurrent seizures prior to and following the cell administration procedure. In addition, rats underwent cognitive evaluation using a Morris water maze.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data show that BMMCs reduced the frequency of seizures and improved the learning and long-term spatial memory impairments of epileptic rats. EGFP-positive cells were detected in the brains of transplanted animals by PCR analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The positive behavioral effects observed in our study indicate that BMMCs could represent a promising therapeutic option in the management of chronic temporal lobe epilepsy.
authors: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors: Gianina Teribele
authors: GT
authors: Venturin
authors: Samuel
authors: S
authors: Greggio
authors: Daniel Rodrigo
authors: DR
authors: Marinowic
authors: Gabriele
authors: G
authors: Zanirati
authors: Martín
authors: M
authors: Cammarota
authors: Denise Cantarelli
authors: DC
authors: Machado
authors: Jaderson Costa
authors: JC
authors: DaCosta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology; D017690:Cell Transplantation; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D008094:Lithium / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009000:Monocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000637:transplantation; D010862:Pilocarpine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013550:Swimming
chemical_list: D010862:Pilocarpine; D008094:Lithium; D003975:Diazepam