Proliferation and committed differentiation into dopamine neurons of neural stem cells induced by the active ingredients of radix astragali

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are important cellular sources of transplantation therapies for Parkinson's disease. This study aimed to determine the effects of extracts of radix astragali on the proliferation and differentiation into dopamine (DA) neurons in NSCs. NSCs were dealt with astragaloside IV (ASI), astragalus polysaccharide (APS), and astraisoflavan (ASF), the main active ingredients of radix astragali. First, the results from cell-count kit-8 (CCK-8) assay showed that ASI, ASF, and APS had positive effects on the proliferation of NSCs. Next, we also confirmed the effects of ASI, APS, and ASF on BrdU and nestin by immunocytochemistry. Moreover, results from quantitative RT-PCR showed ASI, APS, and ASF could promote the expressions of tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine transporter mRNA, which are specifically expressed in DA neurons. Simultaneously, sonic hedgehog (Shh), orphan nuclear hormone 1 (Nurr1), and pituitary homeobox 3 (Ptx3) are considered to motivate the formation of DA neurons. Our result showed ASI, APS, and ASF can also promote the expressions of Shh, Nurr1, and Ptx3 mRNAs. In conclusion, our study verifies that the active ingredients of radix astragali can promote the proliferation of NSCs and induce NSC differentiation toward DA neurons in vitro. These phenomena may occur through upregulation of Shh, Nurr1, and Ptx3 in the process of drug treatment. *Han Gao and Lianrong Dou contributed equally to the writing of this article. Correspondence to Wentao Li, PhD, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 274 Zhijiang Road, Jing'an District, 200071 Shanghai, China Tel: +86 133 3188 2730; fax: +86 215 663 4252; e-mail: 1132@szy.sh.cn Received November 20, 2017 Accepted January 26, 2018 © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

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