Abstract
The role of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in treating radiation-induced brain injury (RIBI) is not completely understood, and assessment methods to directly characterize neurological function are lacking. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of BMSCs treatment on changes in hippocampal neural function in Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats with RIBI, and to evaluate the therapeutic effect of BMSCs by manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI). First, we assessed cognitive function after RIBI treatment with BMSCs using the Morris water maze. Next, we used MEMRI at two time points to observe the treatment effect and explore the correlation between MEMRI and cognitive function. Finally, we evaluated the expression of specific hippocampal neurofunctional proteins, the ultrastructure of hippocampal nerves, and the histological changes in the hippocampus. After BMSCs treatment of RIBI, cognitive dysfunction improved significantly, the expression of hippocampal neurofunctional proteins was increased, the integrity of the hippocampal neural structure was protected, and nerve cell survival was enhanced. The improvement in neurological function was successfully detected by MEMRI, and MEMRI was highly correlated with cognitive function and histological changes. These results suggest that BMSCs treatment of RIBI is an optional modality, and MEMRI can be used for treatment evaluation.