title: Systemic treatment with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells ameliorates clinical and pathological features in the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis murine model.
abstract: Therapeutic strategies for the fatal neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are actually minimally effective on patients' survival and quality of life. Although stem cell therapy has raised great expectations, information on the involved molecular mechanisms is still limited. Here we assessed the efficacy of the systemic administration of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASC), a previously untested stem cell population, in superoxide-dismutase 1 (SOD1)-mutant transgenic mice, the animal model of familial ALS. The administration of ASC to SOD1-mutant mice at the clinical onset significantly delayed motor deterioration for 4-6 weeks, as shown by clinical and neurophysiological tests. Neuropathological examination of ASC-treated SOD1-mutant mice at day 100 (i.e. the time of their best motor performance) revealed a higher number of lumbar motorneurons than in phosphate-buffered saline-treated SOD1-mutant mice and a restricted number of undifferentiated green fluorescent protein-labeled ASC in the spinal cord. By examining the spinal cord tissue factors that may prolong neuronal survival, we found a significant up-regulation in levels of glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) after ASC treatment. Considering that ASC produce bFGF but not GDNF, these findings indicate that ASC may promote neuroprotection either directly and/or by modulating the secretome of local glial cells toward a neuroprotective phenotype. Such neuroprotection resulted in a strong and long-lasting effect on motor performance and encourages the use of ASC in human pathologies, in which current therapies are not able to maintain a satisfying neurological functional status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Sciences and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marconi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Sciences and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonaconsa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Sciences and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Scambi
authors.affiliation: University Hospital of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Squintani
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Sciences and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rui
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Sciences and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Turano
authors.affiliation: San Raffaele Hospital, Neurophysiology Unit, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ungaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Sciences and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: D'Agostino
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Sciences and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barbieri
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Diagnostics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Angiari
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Sciences and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farinazzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Diagnostics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Constantin
authors.affiliation: San Raffaele Hospital, Neurophysiology Unit, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Del Carro
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Sciences and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bonetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Sciences and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. Electronic address: raffaella.mariotti@univr.it.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mariotti
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009043:Motor Activity; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000235:genetics; D000072105:Superoxide Dismutase-1; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; C000606290:SOD1 protein, human; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; C000606291:Sod1 protein, mouse; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D000072105:Superoxide Dismutase-1
keywords: GDNF; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; motorneuron disease; neuroprotection; neurotrophins