1Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou  510120, Guangdong Province, China
2Department of Laboratory Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou  510120, Guangdong Province, China

the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30870750*; the Doctor Priming Program of Natural Foundation of Guangdong Province, No. 8451008901000672*; the Medical Scientific Research Foundation Program of Guangdong Province, No. B2008044*; the Youth Teacher Foundation Program of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 3177915*

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that transplantation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-modified neural stem cells (NSC) provides better outcomes, compared with neural stem cells, in the treatment of brain damage.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of VEGF-modified NSC transplantation and NSC transplanta-tion on radiation-induced brain injury, and to determine neuron-specific enolase (NSE) expression in the brain.
DESIGN, TIME, AND SETTING: The randomized, controlled study was performed at the Linbaixin Experimental Center, Second Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, China from November 2007 to October 2008.
MATERIALS: VEGF-modified C17.2 NSCs were supplied by Harvard Medical School, USA. Strep-tavidin-biotin-peroxidase-complex kit (Boster, China) and 5, 6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate suc-cinimidyl ester (Fluka, USA) were used in this study.
METHODS: A total of 84 Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to a blank control group (n = 20), model group (n = 20), NSC group (n = 20), and a VEGF-modified NSC group (n = 24). Rat models of radiation-induced brain injury were established in the model, NSC, and VEGF-modified NSC groups. At 1 week following model induction, 10 μL (5 × 104 cells/μL) VEGF-modified NSCs or NSCs were respectively infused into the striatum and cerebral cortex of rats from the VEGF-modified NSC and NSC groups. A total of 10 μL saline was injected into rats from the blank control and model groups.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: NSE expression in the brain was detected by immunohistochemis-try following VEGF-modified NSC transplantation.
RESULTS: NSE expression was significantly decreased in the brains of radiation-induced brain in-jury rats (P < 0.05). The number of NSE-positive neurons significantly increased in the NSC and VEGF-modified NSC groups, compared with the model group (P < 0.05). NSE expression signifi-cantly increased in the VEGF-modified NSC group, compared with the NSC group, at 6 weeks fol-lowing transplantation (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: VEGF-modified NSC transplantation increased NSE expression in rats with radia-tion-induced brain injury, and the outcomes were superior to NSC transplantation.
Key Words: vascular endothelial growth factor; neuron-specific enolase; neural stem cells; radiation-induced brain injury

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