Differentiation of Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Neuron-Like Cells In Vitro

Study Design. Responses of human mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow (hBMSCs) were analyzed under chemical conditions, and then characterization of ion channels was evaluated by whole-cell patch clamp. Objective. To explore the possibility of differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into neuron-like cells in vitro under different conditions. Summary of Background Data. The generation of mesenchymal stem cells into neuron-like cells has been studied. However, few of these studies characterized functional properties of the differentiated hBMSCs. Methods. hBMSCs (Passage 2) were expanded and cultured in vitro. After Passage 5 was subcultured, the cells were induced by cytokines and antioxidants. Morphologic observation, immunocytochemistry, Western blot analysis, and patch-clamp techniques were performed to evaluate properties of treated and control groups. Results. The differentiated neuronal cells from hBMSCs not only expressed neuron phenotype and membrane channel protein including Nav1.6, Kv1.2, Kv1.3, and Cav1.2 but also exhibited functional ion currents. Both hBMSCs and differentiated cells expressed Nav1.6, Kv1.2, Kv1.3, and Cav1.2 and voltage-activated potassium currents, including delayed rectifier, noise-like and transient outward currents. However, expression of channel proteins, such as sodium channel Nav1.6 and potassium channels Kv1.2 and Kv1.3, were upregulated. Consistently, their potassium currents were also enhanced in the differentiated cells. Conclusion. hBMSCs possess of great potential to differentiate into functional neurons, indicating that hBMSCs may be an ideal cell source in managing a variety of clinical diseases such as spinal cord injury.