RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of human amniotic epithelial cell (HAEC) transplantation in the management of brain hemorrhage in an animal model. METHODS: New Zealand white rabbits were induced to develop cerebral hemorrhage through autologous blood injection. Animals with confirmed brain hemorrhage were randomized to receive transplantation of, respectively, vehicle (n=15) and primary HAECs (n=15) that were expressing embryonic stem cell- and neuron-specific markers and were transfected with a retroviral vector carrying the green fluorescent protein (GFP). Behavioral and histological changes, survival of transplanted HAECs, and expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and MAP-2 in transplanted perifocal tissue were assessed at various time points after transplantation. RESULTS: At 2-3 weeks after transplantation, walking, body weight-supporting and movement coordinating capacities of limbs were improved mostly level II-III hemorrhage lesion cases in HAEC transplantation group but mostly in level I-II hemorrhage lesion cases in the vehicle control group. The Tarlov scores were significantly difference between the two groups (P<0.05). GFAP- and MAP-2-positive cells were observed in the neural tissue in animals transplanted with hAECs but not in animals in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: These preliminary observations suggest that hAEC transplantation possess both embryonic stem cell features and a neuron differentiation potential and thus may offer a promising treatment for hemorrhage-associated neurological damage.