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Exposure of foetal mesencephalic cells to bone morphogenetic protein-2 enhances the survival of dopaminergic neurones in rat striatal grafts. The transplantation of foetal mesencephalic cells (FMC) into the brain striatal system is an emerging treatment for Parkinson's disease, despite of the relatively poor survival of implanted cells. The ability of neurotrophic factors to regulate neurone survival and differentiation suggests they could be used to enhance the success of cerebral grafts. We analyzed the effect of pre-treatment of FMC suspensions with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) (50 ng/ml) prior to grafting into the striatum of 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats. The viability of a FMC suspension was enhanced in vitro by BMP-2. Four weeks after transplantation, the number of dopaminergic neurones was higher and their morphology more developed in grafts pre-treated with BMP-2, compared with non-pre-treated grafts and rats showed a significant reduction in the turning behaviour test. Thus, the pre-treatment of FMCs with BMP-2 should be considered, together with other neurotrophic factors, as a procedure for transplantational treatment of Parkinson's disease. Neurosci Lett 1999 Nov 5;275(1):13-6 Espejo M, Cutillas B, Ventura F, Ambrosio S Universitat de Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain. PMID: 10554973, UI: 20021444 <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/> janet paterson 52 now / 41 dx / 37 onset e-mail - [log in to unmask] web-site - http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Village/6263/