Effects of intravenous human umbilical cord blood CD34+ stem cell therapy versus levodopa in experimentally induced Parkinsonism in mice.
BACKGROUND
Parkinsonism is a neurodegenerative disease with impaired motor function. The current research was directed to investigate the effect of CD34+ stem cells versus levodopa in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced Parkinsonism.


METHODS
Mice were divided into 4 groups; saline-injected, MPTP: received four MPTP injections (20 mg/kg, i.p.) at 2 h intervals, MPTP groups treated with levodopa/carbidopa (100/10 mg/kg/twice/day for 28 days) or single intravenous injection of 10(6) CD34+ stem cells/mouse at day 7 and allowed to survive until the end of week 5.


RESULTS
Levodopa and stem cells improved MPTP-induced motor deficits; they abolished the difference in stride length, decreased percentage of foot slip errors and increased ambulation, activity factor and mobility duration in parkinsonian mice (p < 0.05). Further, they significantly (p < 0.05) increased striatal dopamine (85.3 ±4.3 and 110.6 ±5.3) and ATP levels (10.6 ±1.1 and 15.5 ±1.14) compared to MPTP (60.1 ±3.9 pmol/g and 3.6 ±0.09 mmol/g, respectively) (p < 0.05). Moreover, mitochondrial DNA from mice treated with levodopa or stem cells was in intact form; average concentration was (52.8 ±3.01 and 107.8 ±8.6) and no appreciable fragmentation of nuclear DNA was found compared to MPTP group. Regarding tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunostaining, stem cell group showed a marked increase of percentage of TH-immunopositive neurons (63.55 ±5.2) compared to both MPTP (37.6 ±3.1) and levodopa groups (41.6 ±3.5).


CONCLUSIONS
CD34+ cells ameliorated motor, biochemical and histological deficits in MPTP-parkinsonian mice, these effects were superior to those produced by levodopa that would be promising for the treatment of PD.
Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Suez, Egypt.
Noha
N
Abo-Grisha
Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Suez, Egypt.
Soha
S
Essawy
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Suez, Egypt.
Dina M
DM
Abo-Elmatty
Department of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Suez, Egypt.
Zenab
Z
Abdel-Hady
1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; CD34+ stem cells; Parkinsonism; levodopa; mice