title: Neural differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells: applicability for inner ear therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Regeneration or replacement of damaged hair cells and neurons in the cochlea might be an ideal treatment for sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), derived from the bone marrow of rats, could differentiate into auditory hair cells and neurons.
  
  
  METHODS
  The centrifuge gradient method was used to isolate MSCs from the bone marrow of rats. To confirm whether bone marrow-derived MSCs can differentiate into neuronal cells, culture medium with glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin-3 for 14 days. In addition, immunofluorescence staining and RT-PCR were performed for characterization of the neurospheres and differentiated cells from 7 and 14 day cultures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that MSCs could differentiate into neuron-positive and hair cell-positive cells, using different compositions of growth factors. And RT-PCR result was identified high or low of gene expression all these differentiated cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rat bone marrow-derived MSCs differentiated into neuronal progenitor cells. These cells might be useful for the treatment of SNHL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-HNS, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Won Kyung
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-HNS, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-HNS, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Mi-Yung
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-HNS, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yang Hyun
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-HNS, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyo Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-HNS, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyoung-Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Park
keywords: Bone marrow; Differentiation; Hair cells; Mesenchymal stem cells; Neurons