Neural Stem Cell Transplant-Induced Effect on Neurogenesis and Cognition in Alzheimer Tg2576 Mice Is Inhibited by Concomitant Treatment with Amyloid-Lowering or Cholinergic alpha 7 Nicotinic Receptor Drugs

作者：Lilja Anna M^*; Malmsten Linn; Rojdner Jennie; Voytenko Larysa; Verkhratsky Alexei; Ogren Sven Ove; Nordberg Agneta; Marutle Amelia

来源：NEURAL PLASTICITY, 2015, 2015: 370432.

DOI：10.1155/2015/370432

Stimulating regeneration in the brain has the potential to rescue neuronal networks and counteract progressive pathological changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study investigated whether drugs with different mechanisms of action could enhance neurogenesis and improve cognition in mice receiving human neural stem cell (hNSC) transplants. Six- to nine-month-old AD Tg2576 mice were treated for five weeks with the amyloid-modulatory and neurotrophic drug (+)-phenserine or with the partial alpha 7 nicotinic receptor (nAChR) agonist JN403, combined with bilateral intrahippocampal hNSC transplantation. We observed improved spatial memory in hNSC-transplanted non-drug-treated Tg2576 mice but not in those receiving drugs, and this was accompanied by an increased number of Doublecortin- (DCX-) positive cells in the dentate gyrus, a surrogate marker for newly generated neurons. Treatment with (+)-phenserine did however improve graft survival in the hippocampus. An accumulation of alpha 7 nAChR-expressing astrocytes was observed around the injection site, suggesting their involvement in repair and scarring processes. Interestingly, JN403 treatment decreased the number of alpha 7 nAChR-expressing astrocytes, correlating with a reduction in the number of DCX-positive cells in the dentate gyrus. We conclude that transplanting hNSCs enhances endogenous neurogenesis and prevents further cognitive deterioration in Tg2576 mice, while simultaneous treatments with (+)-phenserine or JN403 result in countertherapeutic effects.

• 出版日期2015