Objectives: Intracerebral injection of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) is being investigated as a therapeutic tool to prevent Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our aim was to investigate the effects of BMSCs by intrathecal injection in AD rat model.
Materials and methods: BMSCs were obtained from the bone marrow of Wistar rat and transplanted into AD rat model via intrathecal injection. The rat model had received an injection of β amyloid into the hippocampus for histological and immunohistochemical studies.
Results: Histological examination of the brains in transplanted rats compared to controls demonstrated the migration of BrdU-labeled BMSCs from the site of delivery, confirmed the differentiation of BMSCs transplanted cells into the cholinergic neurons, and increased number of healthy and decreased number of dark neurons.
Conclusion: Our results showed that BMSCs intratechal administration could be a promising method for treatment of Alzheimer's disease in rat model.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Bone marrow stromal cells; Intrathecal delivery; Rat model.