Background and Aim: Degenerative retinal diseases are among the common causes of blindness in the world. The purpose of this study was to investigate transplantation of neurosphere derived from bone marrow tissue into subretinal space in age related macular degeneration induced by injection of sodium iodate in animal model.

Materials and Methods: 40 mg/kg of sodium iodate was injected into retro-orbital sinus of albino rats. Then histological investigation by flat-mount and hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed after 30 days. Bone marrow stromal stem cells isolated from albino rats femur, were cultured in the differentiation medium and induced into floating neurosphere. Differentiated cells were labeled with nuclear anti-BrdU and were transplanted into subretinal space. Seven days after injection, sections were prepared, and survival, migration and also arrangement of transplanted cells were investigated by immunohistochemistry.

Results: Three days after sodium iodate injection, the pathological changes such as increased autofluorescence, hypertrophy and multinuclearity in retinal pigmented epithelium were observed. Histological investigation showed disorganization of outer segment of photoreceptors and also changes in the retinal pigmented epithelium. Immunohistochemsitry findings, seven days after injection, showed that transplanted cells survived in subretinal space and could migrate into both retinal pigmented epithelium and the retinal layer and finally integrated with host tissue.

Conclusion: Due to accessibility, mesenchymal stem cells are regarded as a good source for transplantation. Potential of differentiation to neural linage and also survival ability and migration of these cells after transplantation could be regarded as a new way for the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases.

Keyword: Neurosphere cells, Bone marrow stromal stem cells, Sodium iodate, Age related macular degeneration.

Received: Dec 4, 2015      Accepted: Apr 26, 2016