All the procedures on animal subjects were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of the University of Kentucky, and appropriate care was taken to minimize stress or pain associated with surgery.
1. Preparation of injection catheter and surgical hooks
2. Animal preparation: Delivery, housing, environment adaptation
3. Culture of mouse and rat neural stem cells (NSCs)
NOTE: NSCs were isolated and cultured following an established protocol20.
4. Surgical preparation
5. Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) stroke surgery
NOTE: The surgeries to induce ischemic stroke in one hemisphere of mouse or rat are similar in that a suture is introduced into the internal carotid artery (ICA) to occlude blood flow (Figure 4)17,18,19,22. However, the artery selected for suture insertion differs based on the available operation space required for the subsequent stem cell injection. The rat has ample space in the external carotid artery (ECA) segment to permit two separate, sequential surgeries (stroke and NSC injection), but the mouse does not, requiring an alternate approach. Stroke-induced cerebral blood flow changes, brain infarct size and neurological deficits have been reported as in the authors’ previous reports17,18,19.
6. Recovery
7. Intra-arterial injection
GFP-labeled NSCs were readily detected in the ischemic brain, mostly in the ipsilateral hemisphere, especially in the penumbra and along the injury rim (Figure 6). The examiner was single-blinded during imaging and analysis.
For example, at 1 d after injection, NSCs were detected within the mouse hippocampus. A subset of NSCs showed co-expression of the immature neuron marker DCX in the dentate gyrus even at this early time point (Figure 6A).
At 10 d after stroke (7 d after NSC injection), exogenous GFP-NSCs were observed at the highest density at the rim of injury (watershed area) in the striatum and cortex (Figure 6B). It is notable that by 7 d after injection many of the GFP-NSCs also expressed DCX (shown by blue circles), indicating their neuronal fate. Compared to animals that received vehicle solution injection, NSC injection also increased DCX staining (red) in ipsilateral hemisphere.
At 30 d after injection, NSCs were still detected in the injured cortex, and a portion of them showed expression of glial marker GFAP (Figure 6C) or mature neuronal marker Tuj1 (Figure 6D), indicating the potential of exogenous NSCs to differentiate into either a glial or neuronal fate, and survive up to 1 month in the injured brain.
Figure 1: Schematic designs of injection catheters. We introduce two designs, Design 1 for compound solution injection and Design 2 for cell injection. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 2: Preparation of catheter for NSC injection and of surgical hooks. (A) Materials for catheter construction: MRE010, MRE025 and MRE050 catheters at 3 cm, ~10-15 cm, and 3 cm lengths, respectively. (B) Cut off needle tips and polish until dull. (C) Connect each segment and secure with superglue, and then embed both needle Luer locks and MRE050 segment in epoxy for enhancement. (D) Make surgical hook using 27 G needle shaft and MRE025 catheter. Scale bar: 5 mm. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 3: Culture of GFP (+) neural stem cells. (A) Identify GFP (+) embryos with fluorescence microscope using the FITC channel. (B) Isolate and culture cortical NSCs until they form neurospheres. Scale bar: 100 µm. (C) Examine neurosphere properties using a stem cell marker panel. Scale bar: 50 µm. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 4: Schematic images of step-by-step middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) stroke surgery on mouse or rat. Refer to the video for detailed surgical operation. ICA, internal carotid artery; ECA, external carotid artery; CCA, common carotid artery. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 5: Schematic images of intra-arterial neural stem cell (NSC) injection in mouse or rat. Refer to the video for detailed surgical operation. ICA, internal carotid artery; ECA, external carotid artery; CCA, common carotid artery. The green arrow indicates direction of flow during injection. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 6: Distribution, survival and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in the ischemic brain. (A) Detection of GFP (+) NSCs within the hippocampal dentate gyrus at 1 d after injection. Stem cells fluoresce green; doublecortin (DCX) immunostaining shown in red. The white arrow indicates a GFP (+) NSC with DCX expression. (B) Schematic map of GFP (+) cells and DCX labelled cells at 10 d after Ischemia-Reperfusion (I-R) in sham controls (no injection) and vehicle (I-R) or NSC (I-R + NSC) injected mice. The topography of the ischemic insult is depicted in the last schematic, where lighter and darker orange represent the area subject to ischemic challenge and the necrotic core, respectively. The blue ribbon indicates the “watershed” area. The gray rectangles depict the locations where images for (C) and (D) were taken. (C,D) Exogenous NSCs can differentiate into a glial fate (GFAP, C) or a neuronal fate (Tuj1, D) by 30 d after delivery. No significant signals were observed in the FITC (GFP) channel in the stroke animals that received vehicle injection (vehicle in C and D), while in NSC injected mice, surviving GFP-NSCs were visualized and colocalized with GFAP (C) or Tuj1 (D) staining. Arrows indicate overlay of 2 channels. Scale bar: 20 µm. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
20 G needle | Becton & Dickinson | BD PrecisionGlide 305175 | preparation of injection catheter |
26 G needle | Becton & Dickinson | BD PrecisionGlide 305111 | preparation of injection catheter |
27 G needle | Becton & Dickinson | BD PrecisionGlide 305136 | preparation of injection catheter |
4-0 NFS-2 suture with needle | Henry Schein Animal Health | 56905 | surgery |
6-0 nylon suture | Teleflex/Braintree Scientific | 104-s | surgery |
Accutase | STEMCELL Technologies | 7922 | cell detachment solution |
blade | Bard-Parker | 10 | surgery |
Buprenorphine-SR Lab | ZooPharm | Buprenorphine-SR Lab® | analgesia (0.6-1 mg/kg over 3 d) |
Calcium/magnisum free PBS | VWR | 02-0119-0500 | NSC dissociation |
DCX antibody | Millipore | AB2253 | immunostaining |
GFAP antibody | Invitrogen | 180063 | immunostaining |
Isoflurane | Henry Schein Animal Health | 50562-1 | surgery |
MCAO filament for mouse | Doccol | 702223PK5Re | surgery |
MCAO filament for rat | Doccol | 503334PK5Re | surgery |
MRE010 catheter | Braintree Scientific | MRE010 | preparation of injection catheter |
MRE025 catheter | Braintree Scientific | MRE025 | preparation of injection catheter |
MRE050 catheter | Braintree Scientific | MRE050 | preparation of injection catheter |
Nu-Tears Ointment | NuLife Pharmaceuticals | Nu-Tears Ointment | eye care during surgery |
S&T Forceps – SuperGrip Tips JF-5TC Angled | Fine Science Tools | 00649-11 | surgery |
S&T Forceps – SuperGrip Tips JF-5TC Straight | Fine Science Tools | 00632-11 | surgery |
Superglue | Pacer Technology | 15187 | preparation of injection catheter |
syringe pump | Kent Scientific | GenieTouch | surgery |
Tuj1 antibody | Millipore | MAb1637 | immunostaining |
two-component 5 minute epoxy | Devcon | 20445 | preparation of injection catheter |
Vannas spring scissors | Fine Science Tools | 15000-08 | surgery |
vascular clamps | Fine Science Tools | 00400-03 | surgery |
Zeiss microscope | Zeiss | Axio Imager 2 | microscopy |
Neural stem cell (NSC) therapy is an emerging innovative treatment for stroke, traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disorders. As compared to intracranial delivery, intra-arterial administration of NSCs is less invasive and produces a more diffuse distribution of NSCs within the brain parenchyma. Further, intra-arterial delivery allows the first-pass effect in the brain circulation, lessening the potential for trapping of cells in peripheral organs, such as liver and spleen, a complication associated with peripheral injections. Here, we detail the methodology, in both mice and rats, for delivery of NSCs through the common carotid artery (mouse) or external carotid artery (rat) to the ipsilateral hemisphere after an ischemic stroke. Using GFP-labeled NSCs, we illustrate the widespread distribution achieved throughout the rodent ipsilateral hemisphere at 1 d, 1 week and 4 weeks after postischemic delivery, with a higher density in or near the ischemic injury site. In addition to long-term survival, we show evidence of differentiation of GFP-labeled cells at 4 weeks. The intra-arterial delivery approach described here for NSCs can also be used for administration of therapeutic compounds, and thus has broad applicability to varied CNS injury and disease models across multiple species.
Neural stem cell (NSC) therapy is an emerging innovative treatment for stroke, traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disorders. As compared to intracranial delivery, intra-arterial administration of NSCs is less invasive and produces a more diffuse distribution of NSCs within the brain parenchyma. Further, intra-arterial delivery allows the first-pass effect in the brain circulation, lessening the potential for trapping of cells in peripheral organs, such as liver and spleen, a complication associated with peripheral injections. Here, we detail the methodology, in both mice and rats, for delivery of NSCs through the common carotid artery (mouse) or external carotid artery (rat) to the ipsilateral hemisphere after an ischemic stroke. Using GFP-labeled NSCs, we illustrate the widespread distribution achieved throughout the rodent ipsilateral hemisphere at 1 d, 1 week and 4 weeks after postischemic delivery, with a higher density in or near the ischemic injury site. In addition to long-term survival, we show evidence of differentiation of GFP-labeled cells at 4 weeks. The intra-arterial delivery approach described here for NSCs can also be used for administration of therapeutic compounds, and thus has broad applicability to varied CNS injury and disease models across multiple species.
Neural stem cell (NSC) therapy is an emerging innovative treatment for stroke, traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disorders. As compared to intracranial delivery, intra-arterial administration of NSCs is less invasive and produces a more diffuse distribution of NSCs within the brain parenchyma. Further, intra-arterial delivery allows the first-pass effect in the brain circulation, lessening the potential for trapping of cells in peripheral organs, such as liver and spleen, a complication associated with peripheral injections. Here, we detail the methodology, in both mice and rats, for delivery of NSCs through the common carotid artery (mouse) or external carotid artery (rat) to the ipsilateral hemisphere after an ischemic stroke. Using GFP-labeled NSCs, we illustrate the widespread distribution achieved throughout the rodent ipsilateral hemisphere at 1 d, 1 week and 4 weeks after postischemic delivery, with a higher density in or near the ischemic injury site. In addition to long-term survival, we show evidence of differentiation of GFP-labeled cells at 4 weeks. The intra-arterial delivery approach described here for NSCs can also be used for administration of therapeutic compounds, and thus has broad applicability to varied CNS injury and disease models across multiple species.