The effect of diosgenin on the differentiation of neural stem cells.

• Main Author: 吳靜怡
• Other Authors: Chung-Wen Cheng
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/08069413495681266606

碩士 === 中山醫學大學 === 生化暨生物科技研究所 === 95 === Diosgenin, a steroidal sapogenin is extracted from the root of wild yam (Dioscorea villosa). It has been reported to have various biological activites, including reducing blood sugar, synthesizing steroid hormone, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we examined the effect of diosgenin on neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs). NSCs obtained from 14-day-old rat embryos were propagated as neurospheres and culture under differential conditions with or without diosgenin (2µM) for 5 days. Diosgenin significantly increased the percentage of microtubulin associated protein 2 (MAP2) in positive neurons compard with the control cells. In addition, these results show that diosgenin promote the differentiation of NSCs into a neuronal phenotype characterized by neurite outgrowth, the expression of neuronal marker protein Tuj1 and voltage-operated Ca2+ channel. Furthermore, diosgenin induced an increase in the phosphorylation of the extracellar signal regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). U0126, a selective ERK1/2 kinase inhibitor blocked both the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and the ability of diosgenin to promote differentiation of NSCs into neuron. The structure of diosgenin is similar to that of estrogen. To investigate the possible role of the estrogen receptor (ER) in the course of a diosgenin-induced neurogenic effect, we used the highly specific ER antagonist ICI182,780 to blocked ER-related pathway. The addition of ICI182,780 did not alter diosgenin-induce neural differentiation. This data indicated that diosgenin does not require ER activation in neural differentiation. Taken together, our results suggest that diosgenin can induced NSCs differentiation through ERK1/2 activation in a ER-independent pathway. Future studies should evaluate the detailed mechanism during diosgenin-induced neural differentiation.