Effect of neural stem cells transplantation on protein expressions of doublecortin and nestin in hippocampal regions in aPP/PS1 mice

Abstract

Objective To explore the effect of neural stem cells (NSCs) transplantation on neurogenesis in an alzheimer'disease mouse model and its related mechanism. Methods A total of 16 12-month-old aPP/PS1 double transgenic aD mice were randomly divided into two groups: NSC group (receiving NSCs transplantation in the bilateral hippocampi, n=8) and PBS group as the negative control group (receiving an equal quantity of 0.01M/L phosphate buffer saline, n=8). another 8 wild type mice without any treatment were selected as the positive control group (Wt group). at five weeks after transplantation, the expressions of doublecortin (DCX) and nestin in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) and subgranular zone (SGZ) were analyzed by immunofluorescence staining, the number of positive cells in these regions were counted by confocal microscopy, and Morris water maze (MWM) test was used to assess cognitive function in all mice. Results NSC group showed the enhanced spatial learning and memory ability in Morris water maze (MWM) as compared to PBS group, but it was still lower than that in Wt mice (both P 0.05). Conclusions NSCs transplantation can promote endogenous neurogenesis via the increased expression of DCX- and Nestin-positive cells in the hippocampal DG/SGZ in aD mice, which improves the cognitive abilities in aD mice in some extent. Key words: Alzheimer disease; Stem cells transplantation