Survival and migration of intracerebrally transplanted human adipose tissue-stromal cells after transient global cerebral ischemia in rats

We investigated survival and migration of human adipose tissue-derived stromal cells(hATSCs) after transplantation into rat brains with induced transient global ischemia. Subcutaneous tissues were obtained from elective surgeries and hATSCs were cultured. We identified the characteristics of hATSCs as stem cells. Fifteen rats were randomly divided into the following three groups: group I, normal-hATSCs(n=5); group II, ischemia(n=5); and group III, ischemia-hATSCs(n=5). hATSCs were transplanted into the posterior periventricular region above the hippocampus in the normal group and in the ischemic group induced by the four vessel occlusion method. hATSCs had survived for 14 days after transplantation in both the normal and ischemic groups. We could find that hATSCs survived more longer in the ischemic rats(group III) until 39 days after transplantation. In two rats in the normal group, cells were not identified 27 days after transplantation. Grafted cells migrated in both ischemia-hATSCs and normal-hATSCs, but in the normal group, the distribution of most of the grafted cells was restricted to the site of transplantation. In ischemic rats, cells migrated more extensively than in normal rats. The medial migration of cells in the ischemic group had statistical significance(p<0.05) . This study revealed that hATSCs survive and migrate after transplantation into rat brains with transient global ischemia.