cAMP included during cell suspension preparation improves... : NeuroReport (original) (raw)
Regeneration and Transplantation
cAMP included during cell suspension preparation improves survival of dopaminergic neurons in vitro
1Department of Human Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QX, UK
2Corresponding Author: Richard L. Branton
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors would like to thank the Wellcome Trust (RLB and DJC, Grant Ref: 049050/Z/96/Z/WRE/MB) and the Medical Research Council (R.M.L.) for financial support.
Received 9 June 1998; accepted 30 July 1998
Abstract
THE physical process of cell suspension preparation from embryonic ventral mesencephala (VM) may be responsible for the low numbers of dopaminergic (DA) neurons that survive following neural transplantation or in vitro culture. In particular, the disruption of cell to extra-cellular matrix attachment may result in cell death through deactivation of a cAMP-dependent protein kinase involved in cell survival signalling. In an attempt to reduce this death, dibutyryl cAMP was included in all solutions from explant collection to final dissociation. Pretreatment with 700μM dibutyryl cAMP resulted in 90% survival of the DA neurons originally plated, compared with only 40% in the untreated cultures, after 5 days in vitro. Treatment of VM explants in this manner may result in major improvements in neural transplantation as a technique for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
© 1998 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins