SWI evaluation of mesenchymal stem cells labelled with SPIO-PLL in the treatment of hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in neonate rats

The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution and effectiveness of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells labelled with SPIO-PLL in the treatment of hypoxic-ischemic brain damage. A total of 50 healthy male SD rats were randomly dived into 5 groups, the control group, HIBD, Lateral Ventricle, Tail Vein, and Magnetized group, with (n = 10) in each group. The control group underwent a sham operation procedure, while the experimental group received the hypoxic-ischemic procedure (permanent ligation of the left carotid artery, followed by 2 hours in the anaerobic box with an 8% oxygen concentration). BMSCs were harvested from rat femurs and tibias by flushing the cavities of the bones with needles filled with DMEM, supplemented with 10% FBS. Approximately 11.2 mg Fe/mL SPIO was diluted with 25 μg/mL cell medium. Afterward, 1.5 μg/ml PLL was added to the final concentration. Confirmation of results was performed using conventional MRI, SWI, and Phase values. It was noted that the speed of regeneration of the brain tissue depended on the route of treatment administration. Distribution is faster through the lateral ventricle than the tail. SWI phase values, along with immunohistochemical and TUNEL assays, confirmed that BMSCs labelled with SPIO-PLL significantly reduced brain ischemia over time. Finally, neurological function analysis revealed that BMSCs significantly improved the neurological behavior of the rats after exposure to hypoxic ischemia. BMSCs labelled with SPIO-PLL play an important role in the treatment of HIBD. Therefore, intracerebroventricular injections and the use of magnets are effective measures in the treatment of early stage hypoxic ischemic brain damage.