STEMEZ(TM) hNP1 Cells and Neuroprotection Studies

Neuroinflammation has been shown to be a potent negative regulator of stem cell and progenitor cell proliferation in the neurogenic regions of the brain.

Here researchers used our STEMEZ(TM) hNP1 Human Neural Progenitors Expansion Kit to study the neuroprotection capabilities of a propriety nutraceutical formulation.

Adam D. Bachstetter, Jennifer Jernberg, Andrea Schlunk, Jennifer L. Vila, Charles Hudson, Michael J. Cole, R. Douglas Shytle, Jun Tan, Paul R. Sanberg, Cyndy D. Sanberg, Cesario Borlongan, Yuji Kaneko, Naoki Tajiri, Carmelina Gemma, Paula C. Bickford. Spirulina Promotes Stem Cell Genesis and Protects against LPS Induced Declines in Neural Stem Cell Proliferation. PLoS ONE 5(5): e10496. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0010496.

Abstract:Adult stem cells are present in many tissues including, skin, muscle, adipose, bone marrow, and in the brain. Neuroinflammation has been shown to be a potent negative regulator of stem cell and progenitor cell proliferation in the neurogenic regions of the brain. Recently we demonstrated that decreasing a key neuroinflammatory cytokine IL-1β in the hippocampus of aged rats reversed the age-related cognitive decline and increased neurogenesis in the age rats. We also have found that nutraceuticals have the potential to reduce neuroinflammation, and decrease oxidative stress. The objectives of this study were to determine if spirulina could protect the proliferative potential of hippocampal neural progenitor cells from an acute systemic inflammatory insult of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). To this end, young rats were fed for 30 days a control diet or a diet supplemented with 0.1% spirulina. On day 28 the rats were given a single i.p. injection of LPS (1 mg/kg). The following day the rats were injected with BrdU (50 mg/kg b.i.d. i.p.) and were sacrificed 24 hours after the first injection of BrdU. Quantification of the BrdU positive cells in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus demonstrated a decrease in proliferation of the stem/progenitor cells in the hippocampus as a result of the LPS insult. Furthermore, the diet supplemented with spirulina was able to negate the LPS induced decrease in stem/progenitor cell proliferation. In a second set of studies we examined the effects of spirulina either alone or in combination with a proprietary formulation (NT-020) of blueberry, green tea, vitamin D3 and carnosine on the function of bone marrow and CD34+ cells in vitro. Spirulina had small effects on its own and more than additive effects in combination with NT-020 to promote mitochondrial respiration and/or proliferation of these cells in culture. When examined on neural stem cells in culture spirulina increased proliferation at baseline and protected against the negative influence of TNFα to reduce neural stem cell proliferation. These results support the hypothesis that a diet enriched with spirulina and other nutraceuticals may help protect the stem/progenitor cells from insults. Figure 7. Spirulina increases proliferation of human neural stem cells in vitro and protects against a TNFα insult.

Figure: Human neural progenitors grown under proliferation conditions were assessed by MTT assay (A) or BrdU (B) for the effects of spirulina (125 ng/ml) or NT-020 (500 ng/ml) or the two treatments combined in the presence or absence of TNFα (20 ng/ml) for 72 hours. (A) The MTT assay shows that spirulina alone or NT-020 alone increase proliferation; surprising, the in combination proliferation is decrease compare to control ** p less tan 0.005.

Related Reagents:

STEMEZ(TM) hNP1 Human Neural
Progenitors Expansion Kit

Primary Neurons and Astrocytes-Primary
human, rat and mouse neurons and astrocytes

Neuron/Glial Marker Antibodies

Neurotrophins and Growth Factor
Antibodies

Stem Cell Research Reagents-includes
cells, antibodies, proteins, media and FACS kits.