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Biomedical subjects

James E Carroll

Publications and source records attributed to James E Carroll.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Transplantation of cryopreserved human bone marrow-derived multipotent adult progenitor cells for neonatal hypoxic-ischemic injury: targeting the hippocampus.

There is currently no treatment for neonatal hypoxic-ischemic (HI) injury. Although limited clinical trials of stem cell therapy have been initiated in a number of neurological disorders, the preclinical evidence of a cell-based therapy for neonatal HI injury remains in its infancy. Stem cell therapy, via stimulation of endogenous stem cells or transplantation of exogenous stem cells, has targeted neurogenic sites, such as the hippocampus, for brain protection and repair. The hippocampus has also been shown to secrete growth factors, especially during the postnatal period, suggesting that this brain region presents a highly conducive microenvironment for cell survival. Based on its neurogenic and neurotrophic factor-secreting features, the hippocampus stands as an appealing target for stem cell therapy. In the present study, we investigated the efficacy of intrahippocampal transplantation of multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs), which are pluripotent progenitor cells with the ability to differentiate into a neuronal lineage. Seven-day old Sprague-Dawley rats were initially subjected to unilateral HI injury, that involved permanent ligation of the right common carotid artery and subsequent exposure to hypoxic environment. At day 7 after HI

Animals↗

Behavioral and histological characterization of intrahippocampal grafts of human bone marrow-derived multipotent progenitor cells in neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic injury.

Children born with hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury account for a significant number of live births wherein no clinical treatment is available. Limited clinical trials of stem cell therapy have been initiated in a number-of neurological disorders, but the preclinical evidence of a cell-based therapy for neonatal HI injury remains in its infancy. One major postulated mechanism underlying therapeutic benefits of stem cell therapy involves stimulation of endogenous neurogenesis via transplantation of exogenous stem cells. To this end, transplantation has targeted neurogenic sites, such as the hippocampus, for brain protection and repair. The hippocampus has been shown to secrete growth factors, especially during the postnatal period, suggesting that this brain region presents as highly conducive microenvironment for cell survival. Based on its neurogenic and neurotrophic factor-secreting features, the hippocampus stands as an appealing target for stem cell therapy. Here, we investigated the efficacy of intrahippocampal transplantation of multipotent progenitor cells (MPCs), which are pluripotent progenitor cells with the ability to differentiate into a neuronal lineage. Seven-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were initially subjected to unilateral HI injury, which involved permanent ligation of the right common carotid artery and subsequent exposure to hypoxic environment. At day 7 after HI injury, animals received stereotaxic hippocampal injections of vehicle or cryopre-served MPCs (thawed just prior to transplantation) derived either from Sprague-Dawley rats (syngeneic) or Fisher rats (allogeneic). All animals were treated with daily immunosuppression throughout the survival period. Behavioral tests were conducted on posttransplantation days 7 and 14 using the elevated body swing test and the rotarod to reveal general and coordinated motor functions. MPC transplanted animals exhibited reduced motor asymmetry and longer time spent on the rotarod than those that received the vehicle infusion. Both syngeneic and allogeneic MPC transplanted injured animals did not significantly differ in their behavioral improvements at both test periods. Immunohistochemical evaluations of graft survival after behavioral testing at day 14 posttransplantation revealed that syngeneic and allogeneic transplanted MPCs survived in the hippocampal region. These results demonstrate for the first time that transplantation of MPCs ameliorated motor deficits associated with HI injury. In view of comparable behavioral recovery produced by syngeneic and allogeneic MPC grafts, allogeneic transplantation poses as a feasible and efficacious cell replacement strategy with direct clinical application. An equally major finding is the observation lending support to the hippocampus as an excellent target brain region for stem cell therapy in treating HI injury.

Animals↗

The neuroblast and angioblast chemotaxic factor SDF-1 (CXCL12) expression is briefly up regulated by reactive astrocytes in brain following neonatal hypoxic-ischemic injury.

BACKGROUND: Stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1 or CXCL12) is chemotaxic for CXCR4 expressing bone marrow-derived cells. It functions in brain embryonic development and in response to ischemic injury in helping guide neuroblast migration and vasculogenesis. In experimental adult stroke models SDF-1 is expressed perivascularly in the injured region up to 30 days after the injury, suggesting it could be a therapeutic target for tissue repair strategies. We hypothesized that SDF-1 would be expressed in similar temporal and spatial patterns following hypoxic-ischemic (HI) injury in neonatal brain. RESULTS: Twenty-five 7-day-old C57BL/J mice underwent HI injury. SDF-1 expression was up regulated up to 7 days after the injury but not at the later time points. The chief sites of SDF-1 up regulation were astrocytes, their foot processes along blood vessels and endothelial cells. CONCLUSION: The localization of SDF-1 along blood vessels in the HI injury zone suggests that these perivascular areas are where chemotaxic signaling for cellular recruitment originates and that reactive astrocytes are major mediators of this process. The associated endothelium is likely to be the site for vascular attachment and diapedesis of CXCR4 receptor expressing cells to enter the injured tissue. Here we show that, relative to adults, neonates have a significantly smaller window of opportunity for SDF-1 based vascular chemotaxic recruitment of bone marrow-derived cells. Therefore, without modification, following neonatal HI injury there is only a narrow period of time for endogenous SDF-1 mediated chemotaxis and recruitment of reparative cells, including exogenously administered stem/progenitor cells.

Age Factors↗

SDF-1 (CXCL12) is upregulated in the ischemic penumbra following stroke: association with bone marrow cell homing to injury.

The chemokine stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1, also known as CXCL12) and its receptor CXCR4 have been implicated in homing of stem cells to the bone marrow and the homing of bone marrow-derived cells to sites of injury. Bone marrow cells infiltrate brain and give rise to long-term resident cells following injury. Therefore, SDF-1 and CXCR4 expression patterns in 40 mice were examined relative to the homing of bone marrow-derived cells to sites of ischemic injury using a stroke model. Mice received bone marrow transplants from green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic donors and later underwent a temporary middle cerebral artery suture occlusion (MCAo). SDF-1 was associated with blood vessels and cellular profiles by 24 hours through at least 30 days post-MCAo. SDF-1 expression was principally localized to the ischemic penumbra. The majority of SDF-1 expression was associated with reactive astrocytes; much of this was perivascular. GFP+ cells were associated with SDF-1-positive vessels and were also found in the neuropil of regions with increased SDF-1 immunoreactivity. Most vessel-associated GFP+ cells resemble pericytes or perivascular microglia and the majority of the GFP+ cells in the parenchyma displayed characteristics of activated microglial cells. These findings suggest SDF-1 is important in the homing of bone marrow-derived cells, especially monocytes, to areas of ischemic injury.

Animals↗

Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic syndrome in a child with an autoimmune phenotype.

We report on a child with a family history of autoimmune defects, who presented at the age of 3(1/2) years with alopecia and Graves disease. He subsequently developed vitiligo and psoriasis. At 9(1/2) years, he developed an autoimmune form of Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) with a significant elevation of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) autoantibodies. Shortly thereafter he developed chronic urticaria. HLA associations were present for Graves disease, vitiligo, psoriasis, and IgA deficiency. There was also evidence of autoimmunity involving the pancreatic islet cells and gastric parietal cells.

Autoimmune Diseases↗

Stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy is a group of brain diseases which produce chronic motor disability in children. The causes are quite varied and range from abnormalities of brain development to birth-related injuries to postnatal brain injuries. Due to the increased survival of very premature infants, the incidence of cerebral palsy may be increasing. While premature infants and term infants who have suffered neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic (HI) injury represent only a minority of the total cerebral palsy population, this group demonstrates easily identifiable clinical findings, and much of their injury is to oligodendrocytes and the cerebral white matter. While the use of stem cell therapy is promising, there are no controlled trials in humans with cerebral palsy and only a few trials in patients with other neurologic disorders. However, studies in animals with experimentally induced strokes or traumatic injuries have indicated that benefit is possible. The potential to do these transplants via injection into the vasculature rather than directly into the brain increases the likelihood of timely human studies. As a result, variables appropriate to human experiments with intravascular injection of cells, such as cell type, timing of the transplant and effect on function, need to be systematically performed in animal models with HI injury, with the hope of rapidly translating these experiments to human trials.

Animals↗

Acetoacetate increases expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in human brain microvascular endothelial cells.

It has been hypothesized that ketone bodies cause activation of brain endothelial cells and that this is a factor in the intracerebral crises of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). In this study we used cultured human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) to investigate the effect of beta hydroxybutyrate (BOHB) and acetoacetate (AcAc) on the expression of the adhesion molecule, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). Increasing concentrations of AcAc, but not BOHB, caused a significant upregulation of ICAM-1 in comparison to unstimulated cells. Glucose concentrations of 10 and 30 mM, but not 50 mM, also resulted in increased expression of ICAM-1. These results support the hypothesis that activation of HBMEC is involved in the acute complications of DKA, and that ketone bodies and hyperglycemia are factors in the perturbed membrane function.

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗