Intracerebral grafting and culture of cryopreserved primate dopamine neurons.

Dopamine neurons from the ventral midbrain and olfactory bulb of fetal and postnatal African green monkeys were frozen, stored in liquid nitrogen for intervals of 4-28 days, thawed, and tested for viability and growth following intracerebral transplantation into 3 adult monkeys. Well developed tyrosine hydroxylase positive neurons from all donors were seen in intracerebral transplants at 7-50 days after grafting. Freeze-stored neurons also were tested at various intervals by Trypan blue dye exclusion and development in tissue culture. More than 99% of the cryopreserved cells from both pre- and postnatal donors were viable by dye exclusion, and fetal tissue developed neuronal morphology in culture. This evidence further supports the fact that primate neurons survive intracerebral transplantation, even after cryopreservation and storage. The ability to store, transport and verify the transmitter phenotype of neurons offered by this approach is pertinent to possible therapeutic applications.