PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Zhang, Hong AU - Song, Fahuan AU - Xu, Caiyun AU - Liu, Hao AU - Wang, Zefeng AU - Li, Jinhui AU - Wu, Shuang AU - YehuaShen AU - Chen, Yao AU - Zhu, Yunqi AU - Du, Ruili AU - Tian, Mei TI - Spatiotemporal PET Imaging of Dynamic Metabolic Changes After Therapeutic Approaches of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Neuronal Stem Cells, and a Chinese Patent Medicine in Stroke AID - 10.2967/jnumed.115.163170 DP - 2015 Nov 01 TA - Journal of Nuclear Medicine PG - 1774--1779 VI - 56 IP - 11 4099 - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/56/11/1774.short 4100 - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/56/11/1774.full SO - J Nucl Med2015 Nov 01; 56 AB - This study aimed to use spatiotemporal PET imaging to investigate the dynamic metabolic changes after a combined therapeutic approach of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), neuronal stem cells (NSCs), and Chinese patent medicine in a rat model of cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury. Methods: Cerebral ischemia was established by the middle cerebral artery occlusion approach. Thirty-six male rats were randomly assigned to 1 of the 6 groups: control phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), Chinese patent medicine (Qing-kai-ling [QKL]), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), combination of iPSCs and QKL, neuronal stem cells (NSCs), and combination of NSCs and QKL. Serial 18F-FDG small-animal PET imaging and neurofunctional tests were performed weekly. Autoradiographic imaging and immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent analyses were performed at 4 wk after stem cell transplantation. Results: Compared with the PBS control group, significantly higher 18F-FDG accumulations in the ipsilateral cerebral infarction were observed in 5 treatment groups from weeks 1–4. Interestingly, the most intensive 18F-FDG accumulation was found in the NSCs + QKL group at week 1 but in the iPSCs + QKL group at week 4. The neurofunctional scores in the 5 treatment groups were significantly higher than that of the PBS group from week 3 to 4. In addition, there was a significant correlation between the PET imaging findings and neurofunctional recovery (P < 0.05) or glucose transporter-1 expression (P < 0.01). Immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence studies found that transplanted iPSCs survived and migrated to the ischemic region and expressed protein markers for cells of interest. Conclusion: Spatiotemporal PET imaging with 18F-FDG demonstrated dynamic metabolic and functional recovery after iPSCs or NSCs combined with QKL in a rat model of cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury. iPSCs or NSCs combined with Chinese medicine QKL seemed to be a better therapeutic approach than these stem cells used individually.