Trabecular meshwork mesenchymal stem cell transplantation improve motor symptoms of parkinsonian rat model

Stem cell transplantation is a new therapeutic strategy in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Therefore, in this study, the therapeutic effects of Trabecular Meshwork Mesenchymal Stem Cells (TM-MSCs) transplantation, as a new source of mesenchymal stem cells, were evaluated in the animal model of PD. After the development and confirmation of hemi-parkinsonian rats by administration of 6-hydroxy dopamine (6-OHDA) and apomorphine-induced rotation test, green fluorescent protein (GFP) labeled TM-MSCs (normal and induced cells) were transplanted in the striatum of rats. Next, the rotation test, rotarod test, open field, passive avoidance memory tests and immunohistochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) were done. The results showed that the number of turns significantly decreased and the improvement of motor performance was achieved after cell transplantation. However, there was no significant difference in passive avoidance memory of animals documented by shuttle box test. The number of GFP- labeled cells expressing TH significantly is increased compared to the vehicle group. Collectively, it seems that TM-MSCs and induced TM-MSCs cell transplantation have positive effects on some aspects of the animal model of PD. Other studies may reveal the potentially positive aspects of these cells in the laboratory and clinical studies.

High-efficient serum-free differentiation of trabecular meshwork mesenchymal stem cells into Schwann-like cells on polylactide electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds

Cell-based therapies of the peripheral nerve injury (PNI) have provided satisfactory outcomes among which Schwann cells (SCs) are the most reliable candidate to improve repair of the damaged nerve, however, it is difficult to obtain sufficient amount of SCs for clinical applications. Trabecular meshwork-derived mesenchymal stem cells (TM-MSCs) are newly introduced neural crest originated MSCs, which may have a desirable potential for Schwann-like differentiation due to their common lineage. On the other hand, one of the challenges of cell-based therapies is usage of serum containing media which is inappropriate for clinical applications. In the present study, we investigated the differentiation potential of TM-MSCs into Schwann-like cells on polylactide (PLA) nanofibrous scaffolds in the presence or absence of serum. Our results revealed that PLA nanofibers had no negative effects on the cell growth and proliferation of TM-MSCs, and improved Schwann-like differentiation compared with tissue culture plates (TCPs). More importantly, when the cells cultured on the scaffold in the presence of serum-free media (SFM), expression mRNA levels of SC markers (S100B, GAP43, GFAP and SOX10) were significantly increased compared with those of serum-rich groups. Immunostaining of TM-MSCs cultured on serum-free PLA nanofibrous scaffolds also showed significant expression of GAP43, GFAP and SOX10 compared to those of control, indicating the efficient role of SFM in the differentiation of TM-MSCs into SCs lineage. Overall, the findings of this study revealed the differentiation potential of TM-MSCs to SC fate for the first time, and also showed the beneficial effects of SFM and PLA nanofibrous scaffolds as a promising approach for peripheral nerve regeneration.