ZJU-37 Promoted OPC Survival and Myelination in a Rat Neonatal White Matter Injury Model With hOPC Graft 

Abstract Background : Recent evidence suggests that ZJU-37 plays an important role in inhibiting inflammation and cell apoptosis. White matter injury (WMI), a leading cause of neurodevelopmental disabilities in preterm infants, which is characterized by extensive myelination disturbances and demyelination. Neuroinflammation, leads to the loss and differentiation-inhibition of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), represents a major barrier to myelin repair. Whether ZJU-37 can promote transplanted OPCs derived from human neural stem cells (hOPCs) survival, differentiation and myelination remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of ZJU-37 on myelination and neurobehavioral function in a neonatal rat WMI model induced by hypoxia and ischemia. Methods : In vivo , P3 rat pups were subjected to right common carotid artery ligation and hypoxia, and then treated with ZJU-37 or/and hOPCs, and OPCs apoptosis, myelination, glial cell and NLRP3 inflammasome activation together with cognitive outcome were evaluated at 12 weeks after transplantation. In vitro , the effect of ZJU-37 on NLRP3 inflammasome activation in astrocyte induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) were examined by western blot and immunofluorescence. The effect of ZJU-37 on OPCs apoptosis induced by the conditioned medium from OGD-astrocyte was analyzed by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence. Results: ZJU-37 combined with hOPCs more effectively decreased OPC apoptosis, promoted myelination in the corpus callosum and improved behavioral function compared to ZJU-37 or OPCs treatment. In addition, the activation of glial cells and NLRP3 inflammasome was reduced by ZJU-37 or/and OPCs treatment in the neonatal rat WMI model. In vitro , it was also confirmed that ZJU-37 can suppress NLRP3 inflammasome activation in astrocytes induced by OGD. Not only that, the conditioned medium from OGD-injured astrocytes (OGD-astrocyte-CM) treated with ZJU-37 obviously attenuated OPC apoptosis and dysdifferentiation caused by the OGD-astrocyte-CM. Conclusions : ZJU-37 may promote OPC survival, differentiation and myelination by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation in a neonatal rat model of WMI with hOPC graft.