Optogenetic Inhibition of Striatal Neuronal Activity Improves the Survival of Transplanted Neural Stem Cells and Neurological Outcomes after Ischemic Stroke in Mice. (14th September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lu, Yifan; Jiang, Lu; Li, Wanlu; Qu, Meijie; Song, Yaying; He, Xiaosong; Zhang, Zhijun; Yang, Guo-Yuan; Wang, Yongting
• Other Names: Tang Hailiang Academic Editor.
• Is Part Of: Stem cells international. Volume 2017(2017)
• Publication Date: 2017-09-14
• Subjects: Stem Cells -- Periodicals; Stem Cells -- Therapeutic use -- Periodicals; Stem Cells -- Transplantation -- Periodicals; 616.0277405
• DOI: 10.1155/2017/4364302
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1687-966X

Abstract

Abstract : Neural stem cell (NSC) transplantation is a promising treatment to improve the recovery after brain ischemia. However, how the survival, proliferation, migration, and differentiation of implanted NSC are influenced by endogenous neuronal activity remains unclear. In this work, we used optogenetic techniques to control the activity of striatal neurons and investigated how their activity affected the survival and migration of transplanted NSCs and overall neurological outcome after ischemic stroke. NSCs cultured from transgenic mice expressing fluorescent protein were transplanted into the peri-infarct region of the striatum after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) surgery. The striatal neurons were excited or inhibited for 15 minutes daily via implanted optical fiber after tMCAO. The results revealed that mice which received NSC transplantation and optogenetic inhibition had smaller brain infarct volume and increased NSC migration compared to the NSC alone or PBS group (p < 0.05 ). In contrast, mice which received NSC transplantation and optogenetic excitation showed no difference in infarct volume and neurological behavior improvement compared to the PBS control group. In vitro experiments further revealed that the conditioned media from excited GABAergic neurons reduced NSC viability through paracrine mechanisms. Conclusion . Optogenetic inhibition of striatal neuronal activity further improved neurological recovery after NSC transplantation at the subacute phase after brain ischemia.