Functional compensation by transplantation of cell suspensions of embryonic mesencephalon into the striatum of rats with 6-hydroxydopamine lesions.

Neuronal cell suspensions were implanted into the striatum of female rats that showed apomorphine-induced rotation and a reduction in striatal dopamine after intranigral treatment with 6-hydroxydopamine. The apomorphine-induced rotation was significantly suppressed by the transplantation in 12 out of 64 rats. DOPA accumulation and dopamine level (6.3 and 3.4%, respectively, compared with those of uncompensated rats) in the striatum following treatment with an amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor were slightly restored in compensated rats.