In vitro induction and differentiation of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells into neuron-like cells by all-trans retinoic acid.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the optimal concentration for inducing the differentiation of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) into neuron-like cells, although it is understood that all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) regulates cell proliferation in the nervous system by modulating the balance between mitosis and apoptosis.


METHODS
The abilities of ATRA to promote apoptosis as well as neural differentiation were assessed in cultured hUC-MSCs by morphological observation, MTT assay, annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry.


RESULTS
The data showed that low concentrations of ATRA (0.5 µmol, 0.25 µmol) had no effect on the number of cells. However, treatment with 1.0 µmol or 2.0 µmol ATRA induced a 24.16% and 52.67% reduction in cell number, respectively, compared with vehicle-treated cultures. Further, 4.0 µmol ATRA had a potent effect on cell number, with almost no adherent cells recovered after 24h. We further showed that 0.5 µmol ATRA caused these cells to express characteristic markers of neuronal progenitor cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Taken together, we conclude that ATRA has a dose-dependent influence on the neural differentiation and apoptosis of hUC-MSCs. These findings have implications on the use of ATRA-differentiated hUC-MSCs for the study of neural degeneration diseases.
Eye Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province, China.
Wei
W
Jin
Department of Urology, Wuhan General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, Wuhan 430072, Hubei Province, China.
Yao-Peng
YP
Xu
Eye Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province, China.
An-Huai
AH
Yang
Eye Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province, China.
Yi-Qiao
YQ
Xing
apoptosis; differentiation; human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells; neuron-like cells