Histological and Behavioral Alterations Following hADSCs Intravenous Administration in Alzheimer’s Rat Model

Abstract

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive cognitive disorder that is generally age-related. Although there has been great research focusing on this disease, there is still a lack of reliable therapeutic methods. Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide has a critical function in neuropathology of AD. Stem cell therapy provides treatment by improving the neuronal system in neurodegenerative disorders. Human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) are the most appropriate sources of stem cells due to their safety, high proliferative potential, and easy isolation. Objectives: The present study was designed to evaluate the histological and behavioral alterations after intravenous administration of hADSCs in the AD rat model. Methods: In this study, 32 male rats were used in four groups, as follows: control, sham, AD rat model, and hADSCs-treated group. We used Morris Water Maze (MWM) for evaluating behavioral changes and Nissl staining for determining the histological studies. Results: In this study, the AD model was confirmed by behavioral and histological analysis. Behavioral results showed that the spatial memory improved after hADSCs injection in the AD rat model while the time spent in the target quadrant was significantly higher in the hADSCs-treated group than in the AD rat model group. On the other hand, the number of dead cells significantly decreased in the hADSCs-treated group as analyzed by Nissl staining. Conclusions: Our findings revealed that hADSCs could transfer into the brain and improve memory and neuronal damage in the AD rat model.