Stem cells have the potential as a regenerative therapy for cerebral ischemia by improving functional outcomes. However, cell transplantation has some limitations, including a low rate of the grafted cell survival. There is still a major challenge of promoting the harmonious symbiosis between grafted cells and the host. Acupuncture can effectively improve the functional outcome after cerebral ischemia. The present study evaluated the therapeutic effects and explored the mechanism of combined medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) neural progenitors differentiated from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) with electroacupuncture (EA) in a bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (2VO) rat model. The results showed that EA could promote the survival of the grafted MGE neural progenitors differentiated from hESCs and alleviate learning and memory impairment in rats with cerebral ischemia. This may have partially resulted from inhibited expression of TNF-α and IL-1β and increased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and blood vessel density in the hippocampus. Our findings indicated that EA could promote the survival of the grafted MGE neural progenitors and enhance transplantation therapy’s efficacy by promoting angiogenesis and inhibiting inflammation.

中文翻译：

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电针通过促进血管生成和抑制炎症促进脑缺血大鼠移植的人 MGE 神经祖细胞的存活

通过改善功能结果，干细胞具有作为脑缺血再生疗法的潜力。然而，细胞移植有一些局限性，包括移植细胞存活率低。促进移植细胞与宿主的和谐共生仍是一大挑战。针灸可有效改善脑缺血后的功能预后。本研究在双侧颈总动脉闭塞（2VO）大鼠模型中评估了治疗效果并探讨了电针（EA）从人胚胎干细胞（hESCs）分化的联合内侧神经节隆起（MGE）神经祖细胞的机制。结果表明，电针可促进人胚胎干细胞分化后移植的MGE神经祖细胞的存活，减轻脑缺血大鼠的学习记忆障碍。这可能部分是由于抑制了 TNF-α和 IL-1 β以及增加的海马血管内皮生长因子 (VEGF) 表达和血管密度。我们的研究结果表明，电针可以促进移植的 MGE 神经祖细胞的存活，并通过促进血管生成和抑制炎症来提高移植治疗的疗效。