Therapeutic effects of umbilical cord MSC-derived induced neuronal cells in a rat Parkinson's model

Background: Although evidence suggests that neural cells can treat Parkinson's disease (PD), their source is limited. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess the potential for directional migration, proliferation, and differentiation, and can be transformed into dopaminergic neurons under suitable conditions. This theoretically offers a promising avenue for curing PD. Methods: Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) were induced into neural cells using a combination of factors, including B27, EGF, bFGF, Forskolin, IBMX, and dbcAMP. We evaluated the therapeutic effect of these induced neural cells in a PD rat model using two administration methods: tail vein injection and stereotaxic brain injection. The therapeutic efficacy was assessed through behavioral analysis, pathology, and molecular experiments. Results: A multi-factor induction protocol successfully enhanced the fluorescence intensity of neural cell markers and significantly increased the relative expression of associated gene sequences in the induced cells. Behavioral analysis revealed a significant improvement in the stereotaxic injection group of induced neural cells compared to the model group (*p < 0.05), whereas the stem cell stereotaxic group showed no significant difference (p > 0.05). Immunofluorescence analysis indicated that the treatment groups promoted repair of neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the substantia nigra pars compacta. The repair effect was most pronounced in the induced neural cell stereotaxic group. Conclusion: Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells were successfully differentiated into neural-like cells. Transplantation of these induced neural cells via stereotaxic injection significantly improved the behavioral characteristics of PD rats.