Effective transplant-mediated repair of ischemic brain lesions entails extensive tissue remodeling, especially in the ischemic core. Neural stem cells (NSCs) are promising reparative candidates for stroke induced lesions, however, their survival and integration with the host-tissue post-transplantation is poor. In this study, we address this challenge by testing whether co-grafting of NSCs with olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), a special type of glia with proven neuroprotective, immunomodulatory, and angiogenic effects, can promote graft survival and host tissue remodelling. Transient focal cerebral ischemia was induced in adult rats by a 60-min middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) followed by reperfusion. Ischemic lesions were verified by neurological testing and magnetic resonance imaging. Transplantation into the globus pallidus of NSCs alone or in combination with OECs was performed at two weeks post-MCAo, followed by histological analyses at three weeks post-transplantation. We found evidence of extensive vascular remodelling in the ischemic core as well as evidence of NSC motility away from the graft and into the infarct border in severely lesioned animals co-grafted with OECs. These findings support a possible role of OECs as part of an in situ tissue engineering paradigm for transplant mediated repair of ischemic brain lesions.
Keywords: CNS regeneration; Stroke; Tissue engineering; Vascular remodeling.