Leukemia inhibitory factor promotes nestin-positive cells, and increases gp130 levels in the Parkinson disease mouse model of 6-hydroxydopamine.

Objective: To investigate the roles of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) in a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) mouse model of Parkinson disease (PD), and explore how the LIF improves PD symptoms.

Methods: This study was performed in Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China, between April 2008 and January 2010. Seventy-two mice were allocated into a control group (CON), sham operation group (SHA), physiological saline (NS) treatment group (PD), and LIF treatment group (LIF), n=18 for each group. The 6-OHDA was injected into the mice`s left mid-striatum to build a 6-OHDA model of PD. The LIF or NS was slowly released into the CSF through the ALZET osmotic pump catheters duct, in the LIF or NS treated groups. The whole treatment lasted 3 weeks, and the motor functions of the mice were assessed on the seventh, fourteenth, and twenty-first day during the treatment. The nestin-positive cells in the mice were counted by immunofluorescence assays, and the level of gp130 was detected with western blot analysis.

Results: After CSF infusion in the LIF-treated group, we observed an increased number of nestin-positive cells in the mice`s brains. The expression of a major component of the LIF receptor complex, gp130, was also increased. In the fourteenth and twenty-first day time periods; LIF treatment continuously improved the motor functions of the mouse model of PD.

Conclusion: These results suggest the potential of LIF administration as a therapeutic method for PD.