Effect of bone marrow stromal cell-conditioned medium on the glutamate uptake of peroxide-injured astrocytes

We aimed to investigate the effect of bone marrow stromal cell-conditioned medium (BCM) on glutamate uptake of peroxide (H2O2)-injured astrocytes. Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) were isolated from rat bone marrow. Confluent BMSC cultures were incubated with serum-free Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium to create the BCM. Astrocytes were isolated from 1-day-old rats. H2O2-injured astrocytes were cultured in BCM (experimental group) or serum-free medium (control group). The labeled glutamate (3H-L-glutamate) uptake by H2O2-injured astrocytes with or without BCM was compared after 1 and 3 days. We found that astrocytes cultured in BCM exhibited increased glutamate uptake compared to those cultured in serum-free medium following H2O2-induced injury (p < 0.01) and concluded that BCM increased the glutamate uptake capability of H2O2-injured rat astrocytes. The therapeutic benefits associated with BMSC transplantation following brain injury might be partly due to increased glutamate uptake by astrocytes.