INTRODUCTION

It was previously shown that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) differentiate into a heterogeneous cell population enriched in dopaminergic neurons on a microgel matrix based on recombinant spidroin rS1/9. To further study the functional activity of the resulting neuronal culture, it was used to administer it to mice with a toxic model of Parkinson’s disease (PD) in order to assess the possibility of modulating motor behavior impaired by the introduction of MPTP(1-methyl-4-phenyl-1.2,3.6-tetrahydropyridine).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Mice with a toxic model of early symptomatic PD were used for stereotaxic transplantation of neuronal cells. Motor behavior was assessed using the open field test.

RESULTS

It has been shown that in vitro cultivation of neuronal cells on a microgel-free medium has a pronounced effect on the motor activity of mice 2 weeks after their introduction into the mouse brain and 3 weeks after toxic damage to neurons of the substantia nigra. The effect of short-term 3-day cultivation turned out to be negative — the motor activity of mice decreased. With longer cultivation, on the contrary, it increases — which is manifested primarily in an increase in the duration of the active period and the distance traveled. This is especially clearly manifested when comparing the motor activity of mice that were injected with neuronal cells cultured on a microgel-free medium for 2 weeks or 3 days. These effects are modulated by cell cultivation on a microgel — and this effect is different for neuronal cultures with different periods of in vitro cultivation.

CONCLUSION

Neuronal cell cultures derived from iPSCs and differentiated in vitro can increase motor activity when stereotaxically introduced into the brain of mice with a toxic model of PD. This effect depends on the duration of cell culture in vitro and on the matrices used in the cultivation process.