Rat’s Schwann cells induce neural differentiation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:Mesenchymal stem cel s can differentiate into nerve cel s by chemical induction or co-culture method, but whether mesenchymal stem cel s co-cultured with Schwann cel s differentiate into neuronal-like cel s or Schwann-like cel s is stil controversial. OBJECTIVE:To explore the inductive role of Schwann cel s derived from rats in the differentiation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cel s. METHODS:Cocultures of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cel s (1×109/L) and Schwann cel s (1×109/L) from neonatal rats were performed using transwel culture dishes. After 2 weeks of cocultures, morphology of the cultured human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cel s was observed, and the phenotypic changes of cel s were also detected with immumocytochemistry techniques. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:After 2 weeks of cocultures, some differentiated cel s showed neuron-like morphology, and expressed nestin, NF-200 andβ-III-tubulin, but did not express Schwann cel special marker S100 and oligodendrocytes special marker MAB1580. These findings indicate that human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cel s can transdifferentiate into neuronal-like cel s by cocultures with rat’s Schwann cel s.