Olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation restores functional deficits in rat model of Parkinson's disease: a cotransplantation approach with fetal ventral mesencephalic cells.

Different strategies have been worked out to promote survival of transplanted fetal ventral mesencephalic cells (VMCs) using trophic and nontrophic support. Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) express high level of growth factors including NGF, bFGF, GDNF, and NT3, which are known to play important role in functional restoration or neurodegeneration. In the present investigation, an attempt has been made to study functional restoration in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD) following cotransplantation of VMC and OECs (cultured from olfactory bulb, OB) in striatal region. The functional restoration was assessed using neurobehavioral, neurochemical, and immunohistochemical approach. At 12 weeks, post-transplantation, a significant recovery (P < 0.001) in D-amphetamine induced circling behavior (73%), and spontaneous locomotor activity (SLA, 81%) was evident in cotransplanted animals when compared with 6-OHDA-lesioned animals. A significant restoration (P < 0.001) in [3H]-spiperone binding (77%), dopamine (DA) (82%) and 3,4-dihydroxy phenyl acetic acid (DOPAC) level (75%) was observed in animals cotransplanted with OECs and VMC in comparison to lesioned animals. A significantly high expression and quantification of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive cells in cotransplanted animals further confirmed the supportive role of OECs in viability of transplanted dopaminergic cells, which in turn may be helping in functional restoration. This was further substantiated by our observation of enhanced TH immunoreactivity and differentiation in VMC cocultured with OECs under in vitro conditions as compared to VMC alone cultures. The results suggest that cotransplantation of OECs and VMC may be a better approach for functional restoration in 6-OHDA-induced rat model of Parkinson's disease.