Therapeutic effect of human umbilical tissue-derived cell treatment in Rats with experimental intracerebral hemorrhage

Background and purposeThe present study examines whether human umbilical tissue-derived cells (hUTC) have a neuro-restorative effect and improve functional recovery after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in rats.MethodsPrimary ICH was induced in male Wistar rats by stereotactic injection of 100 μL of autologous blood into the striatal region adjacent to the subventricular zone. Briefly, the rats were randomly divided into six groups, each group was intravenously injected either with 2 mL phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or 3 million hUTC in PBS at 1, 3 or 7 days after ICH (n = 8/group). To evaluate neurological functional outcome, each animal was subjected to the modified neurological severity score (mNSS) and corner turn tests at different time points after ICH. At four weeks post treatment, each group was anesthetized intraperitoneally, sacrificed, and brain tissues were processed histologically. Immunohistochemistry was employed to measure vascularity (vWF), neurogenesis (BrdU TUJ1, DCX and NeuN), synaptogenesis (synaptophysin) and apoptosis (TUNEL).ResultsThe hUTC-treated animals showed significantly improved neurological functional outcomes as assessed by mNSS and corner turn tests at 14, 21 and 28 days post-injection in each treatment group (P < 0.05) as compared to the PBS controls. Animals treated with hUTC were seen to have significantly increased cell proliferation, vascularity and synaptogenesis, as well as reduced apoptosis in the hematoma rim compared to the corresponding control group (P < 0.05).ConclusionsIntravenously infused hUTC have a beneficial effect after experimental ICH by functional and histochemical measurements of neural cell proliferation and synaptogenesis in the ICH border zone. This brain region also shows correlative evidence of neuronal recovery with increased vascularity.

► Human umbilical tissue-derived cells (hUTCs) were used as a therapeutic source in an ICH model.
► Intravenous administration of hUTCs improve functional outcome at 4 weeks after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in rats.
► Intravenous administration of hUTCs promotes cell proliferation and vascularity in the perihematoma.
► hUTCs reduced apoptotic cells in the perihematoma in the groups injected at days 1 and 3.
► Earlier treatment with hUTCs may be more beneficial.