title: Efficient cultivation of neural stem cells with controlled delivery of FGF-2.
abstract: Neural stem cells (NSCs) raised the hope for cell-based therapies in human neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. Current research strategies aim to isolate, enrich, and propagate homogeneous populations of neural stem cells. Unfortunately, several concerns with NSC cultures currently may limit their therapeutic promise. Exhaustion of growth factors and/or their uncontrolled release with burst and fall in their concentration may greatly affect the in vitro behavior of NSCs. In this context, we investigate whether a device containing heparan sulfate (HS), which is a co-factor in growth factor-mediated cell proliferation and differentiation, could potentiate and prolong the delivery of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and thus improve in vitro NSC cultivation. We demonstrated that NSCs cultivated in media with a controlled release of FGF-2 from a polyelectrolyte polymer showed a higher proliferation rate, and reduced apoptosis and senescence. In these experimental conditions NSCs preserve their stemness properties for a longer period of time compared with controls. Also of interest is that cell fate properties are conserved as well. The controlled release of FGF-2 reduced the level of oxidative stress and this is associated with a lower level of damaged DNA. This result may explain the reduced level of senescence and apoptosis in NSCs cultivated in the presence of hydrogel-releasing FGF-2.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy. umberto.galderisi@unina2.it
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Galderisi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Peluso
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Bernardo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calarco
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Apolito
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Petillo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cipollaro
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Fusco
authors.forename: M A B
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Melone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000737:chemistry; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006497:Heparan Sulfate / Q000737:chemistry; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000737:chemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004573:Electrolytes; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D006497:Heparan Sulfate; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D011108:Polymers