۱- Introduction

۲- Materials and methods

۳- Results

۴- Discussion

۵- Conclusions

References

Abstract 

Although there have been reports of promising results regarding the transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for neurodegenerative diseases through the use of neuronal differentiation or control of the microenvironment, traditional surgical transplantation methods like parenchymal or intravenous injection have limitations such as secondary injuries in the brain, infection, and low survival rate of stem cells in the target site. Focused ultrasound (FUS) treatment is an emerging modality for the treatment of brain diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders. The various biological effects of FUS treatment have been investigated; therefore, the goal is now to improve the delivery efficiency and function of MSCs by capitalizing on the advantages of FUS. In this study, we demonstrated that FUS increases MSC transplantation into brain tissue by >2-fold, and that this finding might be related to the activation of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in endothelial and subendothelial cells and vascular adhesion molecule-1 in endothelial cells.

Introduction

Diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), usually result in degeneration and irreversible damage to the structures and functions of the brain, which is often accompanied by serious cognitive or physical impairments. Many types of novel therapeutic modalities, including targeted medicine (Danon et al., 2019), deep brain stimulation (Lozano et al., 2019), radiosurgery (Jang et al., 2015), and stem cell treatment (McLauchlan and Robertson, 2018), have been evaluated for the treatment of patients with CNS diseases (Chang and Chang, 2017); however, there remains no consensus regarding the choice of effective therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. Stem cell therapy represents a promising treatment modality for CNS diseases, with positive outcomes and the feasibility of the technique being confirmed in recent years (Kamelska-Sadowska et al.,) Early in their development, stem cell applications focused on the replacement of damaged neural structures with neural stem cells (NSCs). One of the goals of NSC therapy is the replacement of dopaminergic neurons in PD, which is characterized by progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra compacta, and many preclinical and clinical trials have been conducted for this purpose (Trounson et al., 2011). Previous studies reported that human NSCs (hNSCs) completely restored and ameliorated the functional defects in 6-hydroxydopamine-induced Parkinsonian mice (Zuo et al., 2017), and that autologous NSCs induced motor recovery and increased dopamine uptake in the transplanted putamen of a patient (Lévesque et al., 2009).