TROPHIC EFFECT OF PORCINE SERTOLI CELLS ON RAT AND HUMAN VENTRAL MESENCEPHALIC CELLS AND HNT NEURONS IN-VITRO

The poor survival of embryonic dopaminergic (DA) neurons transplanted into patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) has encouraged researchers to search for new methods to affect the short- as well as long-term s urvival of these neurons after transplantation. In several previous ro dent studies Sertoli cells increased survival of islet cells and chrom affin cells when cotransplanted in vivo, The aims of this study were t o investigate whether porcine Sertoli cells had a positive effect on t he survival and maturation of rat and human DA neurons, and whether th e Sertoli cells had an effect on differentiation of neurons derived fr om a human teratocarcinoma cell line (hNT neurons). A significant incr ease of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons of both rat and hum an ventral mesencephalic tissue was found when cocultured with Sertoli cells, Furthermore, there was a significantly increased soma size and neurite outgrowth of neurons in the coculture treated group, The Sert oli cell and hNT coculture also revealed an increased number of TH-pos itive cells. These results demonstrate that the wide variety of protei ns and factors secreted by porcine Sertoli cells benefit the survival and maturation of embryonic DA neurons and suggest that cotransplantat ion of Sertoli cells and embryonic DA neurons may be useful for a cell transplantation therapy in PD. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.