Improvement by Human Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells of Neurobehavioral Disorders in an Experimental Model of Neonatal Periventricular Leukomalacia

The effects of human oligodendrocyte progenitor (F3.olig2) cells on improving neurobehavioral deficits were investigated in an experimental model of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). Seven-day-old male rats were subjected to hypoxia-ischemia-lipopolysaccharide injection (HIL), and intracerebroventricularly transplanted with F3.olig2 (4 × 10(5) cells/rat) once at post-natal day (PND) 10 or repeatedly at PND10, 17, 27, and 37. Neurobehavioral disorders were evaluated at PND14, 20, 30, and 40 via cylinder test, locomotor activity, and rotarod performance, and cognitive function was evaluated at PND41–45 through passive avoidance and Morris water-maze performances. F3.olig2 cells recovered the rate of use of the forelimb contralateral to the injured brain, improved locomotor activity, and restored rotarod performance of PVL animals; in addition, marked improvement of learning and memory function was seen. It was confirmed that transplanted F3·olig2 cells migrated to injured areas, matured to oligodendrocytes expressing myelin basic protein (MBP), and markedly attenuated the loss of host MBP in the corpus callosum. The results indicate that the transplanted F3.olig2 cells restored neurobehavioral functions by preventing axonal demyelination, and that human oligodendrocyte progenitor cells could be a candidate for cell therapy of perinatal hypoxic-ischemic and infectious brain injuries including PVL and cerebral palsy.