Pig xenografts to the immunocompetent rat brain: Survival rates using distinct neurotoxic lesions in the nigrostriatal pathway and two rat strains

• Published in: Experimental neurology Vol. 194; no. 2; pp. 333 - 340
• Main Authors: Robichon, R., Jaafar, A., Terqui, M., Brachet, P., Peschanski, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.08.2005; Elsevier
• Subjects: 1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium - toxicity; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Tissue Transplantation - methods; Cell Size - drug effects; Cells, Cultured; Corpus Striatum - drug effects; Corpus Striatum - physiopathology; Corpus Striatum - surgery; Disease Models, Animal; Dopamine - metabolism; Female; Fetal Tissue Transplantation - methods; Graft Survival - drug effects; Graft Survival - genetics; Graft Survival - immunology; Immunocompetence; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Male; Medical sciences; Multiple sclerosis and variants. Guillain barré syndrome and other inflammatory polyneuropathies. Leukoencephalitis; Neural Pathways - drug effects; Neural Pathways - physiopathology; Neurology; Neurons - drug effects; Neurons - metabolism; Neurons - transplantation; Neurotoxins - pharmacology; Oxidopamine - toxicity; Parkinson's disease; Parkinsonian Disorders - chemically induced; Parkinsonian Disorders - physiopathology; Parkinsonian Disorders - therapy; Porcine xenograft; Quinolinic Acid - toxicity; Rat model; Rats; Rats, Inbred Lew; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Species Specificity; Substantia Nigra - drug effects; Substantia Nigra - physiopathology; Substantia Nigra - transplantation; Swine; Time Factors; Transplantation, Heterologous - adverse effects; Transplantation, Heterologous - immunology; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Rat model; Immunocompetence; Parkinson's disease; Porcine xenograft; Graft(material); Animal model; Rat; Central nervous system; Parkinson disease; Heterograft; Graft; Degenerative disease; Ungulata; Nigrostriatal pathway; Human; Nervous system diseases; Immune response; Implant; Rodentia; Long term; Survival; Cerebral disorder; Pig; Rejection; Toxin; Vertebrata; Experimental result; Mammalia; Neuron; Animal; Central nervous system disease; Neurotoxin; Infiltration; Artiodactyla; Extrapyramidal syndrome; Denervation
• ISSN: 0014-4886; 1090-2430
• DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2004.12.003

Porcine foetal neurons for xenotransplantation in Parkinson's disease (PD) is an alternative source to human fetuses. One of the obstacles facing brain xenotransplantation is the existence of an immune response, which prevents long-term graft survival. Experimental results concerning the survival time of porcine foetal neurons implanted into the brain of immunocompetent rats have been quite different from one study to another, suggesting an effect on graft survival of uncontrolled experimental parameters. To identify such parameters, we have first analyzed the survival of porcine foetal nigral neurons at 5 and 10 weeks after implantation into the striatum of immunocompetent rats having different types of brain lesion affecting cells (quinolinic acid) or projections to the striatum (MPP +, 6-OHDA). In a second experiment, graft survival was analyzed in two strains of recipient rats (female Sprague–Dawley and male Lewis rats) in conditions of ipsilateral dopaminergic denervation using 6-OHDA. The characteristics of surviving grafts were assessed by measuring the graft volume, the number of TH + neurons, the size of TH + neurons soma, and CD5 + cell infiltration. Long-term survival (≥10 weeks) of porcine neurons could be observed in all experimental models. However, there was no significant difference in graft survival rates and characteristics of the surviving grafts between the lesioned groups, or between Sprague–Dawley and Lewis rats. Altogether, results were highly variable within groups of grafts exposed to similar experimental procedures at both 5 and 10 weeks post-grafting. We conclude that the distinct neurotoxins and host rat strains used in our experimental design are not major factors influencing the rejection time-course of primary neural xenografts.