Zeng Xianmin, Chen Jia, Deng Xiaolin, Liu Ying, Rao Mahendra S, Cadet Jean-Lud, Freed William J
Intramural Research Program (IRP), Cellular Neurobiology Research Branch, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Baltimore, MD, USA.
Neuropsychopharmacology. 2006 Dec;31(12):2708-15. doi: 10.1038/sj.npp.1301125.
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can proliferate indefinitely yet also differentiate in vitro, allowing normal human neurons to be generated in unlimited numbers. Here, we describe the development of an in vitro neurotoxicity assay using human dopaminergic neurons derived from hESCs. We showed that the dopaminergic neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP(+)), which produces features of Parkinson's disease in humans, was toxic for hESC-derived dopaminergic neurons. Treatment with glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor protected tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons against MPP(+)-induced apoptotic cell death and loss of neuronal processes as well as against the formation of intracellular reactive oxygen species. The availability of human dopaminergic neurons, derived from hESCs, therefore allows for the possibility of directly examining the unique features of human dopaminergic neurons with respect to their responses to pharmacological agents as well as environmental and chemical toxins.
人类胚胎干细胞(hESCs)能够无限增殖,同时也能在体外分化,从而能够产生数量无限的正常人类神经元。在此,我们描述了一种使用源自hESCs的人类多巴胺能神经元进行体外神经毒性测定的方法。我们发现,能在人类身上引发帕金森病特征的多巴胺能神经毒素1-甲基-4-苯基吡啶鎓(MPP(+)),对源自hESCs的多巴胺能神经元具有毒性。用胶质细胞系衍生的神经营养因子进行处理,可保护酪氨酸羟化酶阳性神经元免受MPP(+)诱导的凋亡性细胞死亡、神经元突起丧失以及细胞内活性氧的形成。因此,源自hESCs的人类多巴胺能神经元的可得性,使得直接研究人类多巴胺能神经元在对药物制剂以及环境和化学毒素的反应方面的独特特征成为可能。