A promising therapeutic strategy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) treatment is stem cell therapy. Neural progenitors derived from induced pluripotent cells (NP-iPS) might rescue or replace dying motoneurons (MNs). However, the mechanisms responsible for the beneficial effect are not fully understood. The aim here was to investigate the mechanism by studying the effect of intraspinally injected NP-iPS into asymptomatic and early symptomatic superoxide dismutase (SOD)1G93A transgenic rats. Prior to transplantation, NP-iPS were characterized in vitro for their ability to differentiate into a neuronal phenotype. Motor functions were tested in all animals, and the tissue was analyzed by immunohistochemistry, qPCR, and Western blot. NP-iPS transplantation significantly preserved MNs, slowed disease progression, and extended the survival of all treated animals. The dysregulation of spinal chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans was observed in SOD1G93A rats at the terminal stage. NP-iPS application led to normalized host genes expression (versican, has-1, tenascin-R, ngf, igf-1, bdnf, bax, bcl-2, and casp-3) and the protection of perineuronal nets around the preserved MNs. In the host spinal cord, transplanted cells remained as progenitors, many in contact with MNs, but they did not differentiate. The findings suggest that NP-iPS demonstrate neuroprotective properties by regulating local gene expression and regulate plasticity by modulating the central nervous system (CNS) extracellular matrix such as perineuronal nets (PNNs).

• Klíčová slova
• ALS, iPS, motoneuron death, neurodegeneration, plasticity, proteoglycans, stem cells, transplantation,
• MeSH
• amyotrofická laterální skleróza terapie   MeSH
• indukované pluripotentní kmenové buňky cytologie   MeSH
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• kultivované buňky MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• nervové kmenové buňky cytologie   metabolismus   transplantace   MeSH
• neuroplasticita * MeSH
• neurotrofní faktory genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• periferní nervy fyziologie   MeSH
• potkani Sprague-Dawley MeSH
• proteiny regulující apoptózu genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• regenerace nervu MeSH
• tenascin genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• transplantace kmenových buněk metody   MeSH
• versikany genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• neurotrofní faktory MeSH
• proteiny regulující apoptózu MeSH
• tenascin MeSH
• versikany MeSH