Abstract: Objective To observe the effect of tenuigenin on differentiation of hippocampal neural stem cells (NSCs). Methods NSCs isolated from newborn (within 24 h) Wistar rats hippocampus were cultivated in vitro with serum free and clone culturing technology. Tenuigenin of different doses (0, 1, 2, 4 μg/ml) were added in the medium, and the proliferation and differentiation of the cells were identified with immunofluorescence staining. Results The neural spheres obtained from the hippocampi of newborn rats were positive for Nestin expression, with the potential for further cloning and differentiation into neurons or glial cells. The incidence of neuron specific enolase and glial fibrillary acidic protein positive cells increased in all the tenuigenin groups compared to the control (P<0.05), while the Nestin positive cells decreased (P<0.05). Conclusion Tenuigenin may promote the differentiation of neural stem cell into nerve cell.

Key words: tenuigenin, neural stem cells, cell culturing, cell differentiation, rats