Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to improve a variety of neurological dysfunction by their paracrine effects. Neurogenin-1 (Ngn1) is a proneural gene that directs neuronal differentiation of progenitor cells during development. In recently study, intracranial injection of Ngn1-expessing MSCs showed the remarked improvement of motor dysfunction in stroke model compared to MSC and PBS treated group. However, intracranial injection is not feasible method to use in clinical field. Therefore, we conducted the study to investigate that intra-arterial injection of Ngn1-expressing MSCs can improve motor deficit in ischemic rat model. Cerebral ischemic stroke is a serious public health concern. It causes considerable death and disability. Only limited treatment options are available in the acute phase of stroke. Fifteen Sprague-Dawley rats were subinjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAo) of 2 hours with the suture occlusion model. Magnetic resonance image (MRI), including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and T2-weighted imaging was performed at 2, 7 and 28days after withdrawal of the suture. Motor function evaluation including ratarod test and adhesive removal test was performed at 1, 7, 14 and 28 days. Amimals were divided into 3 subgroups. Each group received 1×10⁶ MSC-Ngn1 cells, 1×10⁶ MSC-lacZ cells and normal saline respectively. The distribution and phenotype of injected stem cells were compared among the groups. Rat injected with MSC-Ngn1 showed the tendency of motor dysfunction improvement compared to MSC-LacZ and control groups. The induction of neural stem cell number was greater in MSC-Ngn1 injected rat than in other groups. Intra-arterial injection of MSC-Ngn1 cell in stroke model showed the remarkable improvement of motor dysfunction. Intra-arterial injection can be the feasible method of stem cell transplant.
