Evaluation of PLGA Nanoparticles Carrying Leukaemia Inhibitory Factor for Stromal-Like Support of Rat Fetal Dopaminergic Cells

Evaluation of PLGA Nanoparticles Carrying Leukaemia Inhibitory Factor for Stromal-Like Support of Rat Fetal Dopaminergic Cells

After Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the second most common progressive neurodegenerative disease of the CNS. This currently incurable condition is characterised by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the ventral midbrain. New cell-based treatments for PD aim to reintroduce healthy dopaminergic (DA) cells to replace the lost dopaminergic input to the striatum which underlies many of the motor, and some of the cognitive, features of this disease. However, a critical step in this process is the survival and integration of the grafted dopaminergic neurons, and by virtue of the process involved in this therapeutic approach, the cells lack both stromal and growth factor support and are acutely vulnerable to ischaemic stress and an innate immune response: furthermore, endogenous immune tolerance needs to be guided to accept the graft as “self” if rejection is to be avoided. In all these respects, nanotechnologies offer a unique solution and here we outline some fundamental biological considerations relevant to cell based therapies for PD.