Migration and neural differentiation in brain of rat bone marrow stromal cells

Objective To investigate the potential of bone marrow stromal cells(bMSCs) to migrate and differentiate into the neural cells in vivo.Methods bMSCs were isolated by a density gradient(lymphocytes separation) from rats'peripheral blood.After incubation for 8 to 10 days in primary culture,bMSCs were transduced by retrovirus supernatants of EGFP from PT67 cells.The transduced bMSCs were then selected by G418.After being selected for 7 to 10 days,bMSCs stably expressed EGFP.Then these bMSCs marked by EGFP were transplanted into the striatum of injured rats through tail veins or lateral ventricle.Results bMSCs were found in the brain with the morphology of neural cells and expressed some neural antigens.Conclusion The results proved migration and neural differentiation potential of bone mensenchymal stem cells and suggested the possibility of cell therapy for CNS diseases.