Neural stem cell transplantation for childhood acute encephalomyelitis using the animal model

我们研究了神经干细胞移植治疗实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎（EAE）的效果。从胎鼠脑中获得神经干细胞，并引入增强型绿色荧光蛋白（EGFP）基因。我们用豚鼠髓鞘碱性蛋白致敏诱导的EAE将这些细胞移植到Lewis大鼠的大脑半球。然而，我们没有发现神经干细胞移植组与未治疗组脑脊髓炎临床评分的差异。脑脊髓炎恢复后进行尸检，并制作中枢神经系统组织病理标本，荧光显微镜检查EGFP阳性细胞分布。而在大鼠中枢神经系统组织中未发现EGFP阳性的移植神经干细胞。接下来，我们将EGFP阳性的神经干细胞移植到髓鞘少突胶质细胞糖蛋白肽35-55致敏的EAE诱导NOD小鼠的大脑半球。这些小鼠引起视神经炎，在视神经组织中观察到少量EGFP阳性细胞。而神经干细胞移植组与未治疗组在临床表现恢复方面无明显差异。神经干细胞移植治疗EAE有必要研究移植神经干细胞的存活情况。

We have studied the effect of neural stem cell transplantation for the treatment of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The neural stem cells were obtained form the fetal rat brain and were introduced enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) gene. We transplanted these cells to the cerebral hemisphere of the Lewis rat with EAE induced by sensitization of guinea pig myelin basic protein. However, we could not find the difference of the clinical scores of encephalomyelitis between neural stem cell transplanted group and no treatment group. We performed the autopsy after encephalomyelitis recovery and made histopathology specimens of central nervous system and checked the distribution of EGFP positive cells with fluorescence microscope. However, the EGFP positive transplanted neural stem cells were not found at the central nervous system tissues of the rat. Next, we transplanted the EGFP positive neural stem cells to the cerebral hemisphere of NOD mice with EAE induced by sensitization of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide 35-55. These mice caused optic neuritis and small amount of the EGFP positive cells were observed at the optic nerve tissues. However, the difference was not noted in recovery of clinical manifestation between neural stem cell transplanted group and no treatment group. It is necessary to study about the survival of the transplanted neural stem cells for the treatment of neural stem cell transplantation in EAE.