Endometrial stem cell transplantation in MPTP‐ exposed primates: an alternative cell source for treatment of Parkinson's disease |
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Authors: | Erin F. Wolff Levent Mutlu Efi E. Massasa John D. Elsworth D. Eugene Redmond Jr. Hugh S. Taylor |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA;2. Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA;3. Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA;4. Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA |
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Abstract: | Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Cell‐replacement therapies have emerged as a promising strategy to slow down or replace neuronal loss. Compared to other stem cell types, endometrium‐derived stem cells (EDSCs) are an attractive source of stem cells for cellular therapies because of their ease of collection and vast differentiation potential. Here we demonstrate that endometrium‐derived stem cells may be transplanted into an MPTP exposed monkey model of PD. After injection into the striatum, endometrium‐derived stem cells engrafted, exhibited neuron‐like morphology, expressed tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and increased the numbers of TH positive cells on the transplanted side and dopamine metabolite concentrations in vivo. Our results suggest that endometrium‐derived stem cells may provide a therapeutic benefit in the primate model of PD and may be used in stem cell based therapies. |
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Keywords: | adult stem cells endometrium mesenchymal stem cells
MPTP
neurodegenerative diseases Parkinson disease stem cells transplantation |
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