Aim: To explore the mechanisms of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) transplanting induced angiogenesis in rat brain after focal cerebral ischemia.
Methods: 108 male adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into 4 groups: sham-operated group, middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) group, vehicle group and MCAO+ADSCs-treated group. Rat's focal cerebral ischemia model was established by right middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) with modified Longa's method. ADSCs were pre-labeled by CFSE before the transplantation into the rat brain. At 1 d after MCAO, 30 μL cell suspension which contained 1×10(6); ADSCs was injected into the lateral ventricle of MCAO+ADSCs-treated rats, and the same dose of PBS was given to the rats of vehicle group as control. At 4 d, 7 d and 14 d after MCAO, rats were decapitated to detect the TGF-β1 expression in the infarct area.
Results: The expression of TGF-β1 in brain tissues in MCAO+ADSCs-treated group was significantly higher than MCAO group and vehicle group at 4 d, 7 d and 14 d after MCAO, respectively. After transplantation into MCAO rats, ADSCs could survive and express TGF-β1 in the ischemic brain.
Conclusion: These data suggest that ADSCs transplantation can promote revascularization in cerebral ischemic rats, partly by promoting TGF-β1 expression in the brain.