Conversion of Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Wharton's Jelly to Dopaminergic Neurons in Vitro - Potential Therapeutic Application for Parkinsonism

¹ Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
² Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
³ Institute of Physiology and Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Research and Education, Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
⁴ Center for Neural Regeneration, Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Neural Regeneration Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
⁵ Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
⁶ Department of Anatomy, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
⁷ Institute of Medical Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ysfu{at}ym.edu.tw.

	Abstract

Human mesenchymal stem cells isolated from Wharton's jelly of the umbilical cord were induced to transform into dopaminergic neurons in vitro through stepwise culturing in neuron condition medium (NCM), SHH, and FGF8. The success rate was 12.7% as characterized by positive staining for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate limiting catecholaminergic synthesizing enzyme and dopamine being released into the culture medium. Transplantation of such cells into the striatum of rats previously made Parkinsonian by unilateral striatal lesioning with the dopaminergic neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) partially corrected the lesion-induced amphetamine-evoked rotation. Viability of the transplanted cells, at least 4 months after transplantation, was identified by positive TH staining and migration of 1.4 mm both rostrally and caudaully. The results suggest that human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells have the potential for treatment of Parkinson's disease.

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