Differentiation and neurological benefit of the mesenchymal stem cells transplanted into the rat brain following intracerebral hemorrhage

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is often a fatal event. In a patient who survives the initial ictus, the resulting hematoma within brain parenchyma can trigger a series of events that lead to secondary insults and severe neurological deficits. Great efforts have been focused on searching for new approaches to help patients recover neurological function after ICH. Previous studies indicate that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) grafted into the ischemic rat brain can improve neurological function. However, there is no report regarding whether MSCs can be used in the same way to improve the neurological function after ICH. We generated the ICH model by injecting collagenase VII into rat brain. Subsequently, 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU)-labeled mesenchymal stem cells were delivered into the brain through carotid artery, cervical vein or lateral ventricle. The distribution and differentiation of MSCs were investigated by methods of immunohistochemistry. We found that MSCs were able to differentiate into neural cells in vitro as well as in the rat brain after ICH. The injected MSCs were able to migrate into hippocampus, blooding foci and ipsilateral cortex. In the hippocampus, MSCs differentiated into neurons; but in surrounding bleeding foci, they differentiated into neurons and astrocytes. In the ipsilateral cortex, MSCs differentiated into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Notably, the motor function of the rats in the carotid artery (CA) group and the lateral ventricle (LV) group improved significantly. Collectively, our study indicates that MSCs are able to differentiate into neural cells in the rat brain after ICH and can significantly improve motor function.