Xenogeneic dopaminergic grafts reverse behavioral deficits induced by 6-OHDA in rodents: effect of 15-deoxyspergualin treatment.

Foetal rat mesencephalic dopamine-containing tissue was transplanted into the lateral ventricle of mice previously subjected to a 6-OHDA lesion of dopaminergic nerve terminals in the corpus striatum. The graft recipients were immunosuppressed by subcutaneous injections of 15-deoxyspergualin (DSG). Four weeks postgrafting, all DSG-treated mice showed partial or complete functional compensation in amphetamine-induced motor asymmetry. The immunohistochemical staining of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) revealed large numbers of surviving dopamine neurons and abundant fibers in the grafted animals. In contrast, all grafts in non-DSG-treated animals were rejected and functional compensation was lacking. It is concluded that DSG treatment promotes xenogeneic intracerebral graft survival, recovery of function and reduce the histological sign of rejection.