Synergistic Effects of Aerobic Exercise after Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplantation on Recovery of Dopaminergic Neurons and Angiogenesis Markers of Parkinsonian Rats

Seyed Abdollah Hashemvarzi, Ali Heidarianpour, Zia Fallah Mohammadi, Mohsen Pourghasem

International Journal of Applied Exercise Physiology

Abstract: Parkinson is a progressive neurodegenerative disease in central nervous system. Non-pharmacologic treatment methods such as stem cell transplantation and exercise have been considered as a treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the synergistic effects of aerobic exercise after bone marrow stem cells transplantation on recovery of dopaminergic neurons and promotion of angiogenesis markers in the striatum of parkinsonian rats. 42 rats were divided into six groups: Normal (N), Sham (S), Parkinson’s (P), Stem cells transplanted Parkinson’s (SP), Exercised Parkinson’s (EP) and Stem cells transplanted+Exercised Parkinson’s (SEP). To create a model of Parkinson’s, the striatum was destroyed by injection of 6-hydroxy-dopamine into the striatum through stereotaxic apparatus. Stem cells were derived from the bone marrow of femur and tibia of male rats aged 6-8 weeks. After cultivation, approximately 5×۱۰۵ cells were injected into the striatum of rats through the channel. Aerobic exercise was included 8 weeks of running on treadmill with a speed of 15 meters per minute. At the end of the study, all subjects were decapitated and striatum tissues were separately isolated for measurement of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), dopamine (DA) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) levels. VEGF, DA and TH levels in the striatum of parkinsonian rats significantly increased in treatment groups (SP, EP and SEP), especially in SEP group compared to P group after treatment (P<0.05). The BMSCs transplantation in combination with exercise would have synergistic effects leading to functional recovery, dopaminergic neurons recovery and promotion of angiogenesis marker in the striatum of parkinsonian rats.

Keywords: Stem cells, Aerobic exercise, Neurotrophic factors, Parkinson

full text free download