The neural stem cell line CTX0E03 promotes behavioral recovery and endogenous neurogenesis after experimental stroke in a dose-dependent fashion

Abstract

Background. This study investigated behavioral recovery in rats following implanting increasing doses of CTX0E03 cells into the putamen ipsilateral to the stroke damage. Postmortem histological analysis investigated possible mechanisms of behavioral recovery. Methods. At 4 weeks after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), rats were treated with 4500, 45 000, or 450 000 CTX0E03 cells or vehicle implanted into the putamen with testing on a battery of tasks preocclusion and postocclusion. Histological examination of brains included assessment of lesion volumes, implant cell survival and differentiation, changes to host brain matrix, angiogenesis, and neurogenesis using immunohistochemical methods. Results. Statistically significant dose-related recovery in sensorimotor function deficits (bilateral asymmetry test [BAT; P