ABSTRACT
Objective To establish a satisfactory method of isolating,culturing and determining gut neural crest stem cells,which may provide theoretical basis for clinical application.Methods The guts of embryonic mice removed and dissociated were plated into serum-free DMEM/F12 medium.The mitogen-free DMEM/F12 medium supplementd with 10% fetal bovine serum was used to induce differentiation of GNCSCs.Neurospheres and their derivations were determined with immunocytochemical and immunofluorescent staning.Results Neurospheres were generated in the simplified serum-free medium.The staining results showed that enteric neurospheres were GNCSCs and could differentiate into neurons,glial cells and smooth muscle cells by serum-induction.Conclusion GNCSCs have the capacity of self-renewal and proliferation,and give rise to neurons,glial cells and myofibroblasts.