Measurement of acetylcholinesterase secretion from ventral mesencephalic cultures as a means of assessing the dopaminergic neuronal population

Abstract

Foetal graft transplantation into Parkinsonian patients has produced promising, though inconsistent results. Laboratory studies suggest that graft survival could be enhanced by pharmacological manipulation of dopaminergic neurons prior to implantation. This study aims to test whether spectrophotometric assay, in modified culture medium, of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) specifically secreted by dopaminergic neurons, could be used as a reliable marker of cell number in organotypic slice cultures of rat ventral mesencephalon. The results show both a significant and linear correlation between AChE activity, at nine days in vitro, with the dopaminergic neuronal population. It may thus be possible to develop this method to permit long-term storage and manipulation of dopaminergic neurons, and selection of cultures with optimised cell numbers, which may be factors in improving the success of future graft procedures.