Human mesenchymal stem cells therapy improves cognitive function in a sporadic Alzheimer rat model.

ZAPPA VILLAR MF; GARCIA MG; MOREL GR; TRÍPODI LS; CRESPO R; REGGIANI PC

Congreso; Congreso de la Federación de Sociedades de Neurociencia de Lationoamérica y el Caribe.; 2016

Alzheimer disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is characterized by the degeneration of neurons and reduced brain glucose metabolism, as well as by the progressive decline of cognitive function. In this context, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy emerges as a promising therapeutic approach. We explored the therapeutic effect of intravenous administration of Human umbilical cord perivascular cells (HUCPVC) on cognitive performance and biochemical parameters in a rat model of sporadic AD with the intracerebroventricular injection of streptozotocin (STZ-icv).Young male rats were divided into 3 experimental groups (N=7-8/group): Intact, STZ and STZ+MSC. STZ and STZ+MSC received 3 mg/kg STZ-icv and, 24 days after, STZ+MSC received 4 times (every 18 days) HUCPVC (1x106 cells in 1 ml) in a tail vein. During the last 2 weeks until the end of the study we performed different tests to estimate memory, depression-like and anxiety-like behaviors, and the STZ showed cognitive deficit in all of them (P