Glial differentiation of human inferior turbinate-derived stem cells: a new source of cells for nerve repair.

Schwann cell (SC) transplantation as a cell-based therapy can enhance peripheral and central nerve repair experimentally, but it is limited by donor site morbidity for clinical application. We investigated whether human turbinate-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hTMSCs) isolated from discarded inferior turbinate during surgery can differentiate into functional SC-like cells. hTMSCs expressed mesenchymal cell surface markers CD29, CD44, CD90, and CD105 and did not express neural crest markers P75 and Nestin. After monolayer culture in predifferentiation medium and transdifferentiation medium with a mixture of glial growth factors and chemical regents for 14 days, the differentiated hTMSCs exhibited a spindle-like morphology similar to that of SCs. RT-PCR, immunocytochemical staining, and western blotting analysis indicated that SC-like cells expressed the glial markers S100β, P75, and glial fibrillary acidic protein at the gene and protein level. Compared with hTMSCs, differentiated hTMSCs secreted more neurotrophins, and significantly enhanced the neurite length when cocultured with dorsal root ganglia neuronal cells. Our data indicated that hTMSCs can differentiate into functional SC-like cells and have the ability to facilitate the neurite growth of dorsal root ganglia neuronal cells in vitro, representing a promising source of cells for nerve repair.