[Stromal cells from human Wharton's jelly differentiate into neural cells].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the neural differentiating capability of the umbilical cord tissue-derived stromal cells (UCSCs) in the attempt to find a new cell source for neural transplantation.


METHODS
UCSCs from umbilical cord of human were cultured with tissue piece method, passaged by trypsin digestion. And Salvia miltiorrhiza was used to induce the cells to differentiate. Cells were identified with immunocytochemistry.


RESULTS
Stromal cells that migrated from explants and primary culture were obtained. These cells could differentiate into smooth muscle cells spontaneously and expressed smooth muscle actin; they could be passaged by trypsin digestion. Salvia miltiorrhiza could induce these cells to differentiate into the neuron-like cells, which displayed typical neuron morphology, expressed nestin, beta III-tubulin and NSE at the early stage of differentiation, and were stained by anti-neurofilament 200 at the late stage of differentiation. With optimal conditions, about 90% of UCSCs expressed neuronal phenotypes, lower than 1% of the differentiated cells expressed GFAP, and no myelin basic protein expression was detected in the differentiated cells, indicating the absence of oligodendrocyte differentiation from stromal cells.


CONCLUSIONS
The data supported the hypothesis that umbilical cord contains the stem cells with the ability of differentiating into neurons, which may provide an alternative stem cell source for CNS cell transplantation.
Yang
Li-ye
LY
Department of Neurosurgery, Chaozhou Central Hospital, Guangdong Province, Chaozhou 521021, China.
Zheng
Jia-kun
JK
Wang
Chao-yang
CY
Xu
Man-dan
MD
D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005333:Fetus; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D064231:Nestin; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D010618:Phenanthrolines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D027561:Salvia miltiorrhiza; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D014404:Tubulin / Q000378:metabolism; D014470:Umbilical Cord / Q000166:cytology*
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; C577484:NES protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D064231:Nestin; D010618:Phenanthrolines; D014404:Tubulin; C028972:dan-shen root extract