Abstract
In recent years, perinatal stem cells, such as human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs), have attracted increasing interest as a novel tool of stem cell-based high-throughput drug screening. In the present study, we investigated the bioactivities of squalene (SQ) derived from ethanol extract (99.5%) of a microalgae Aurantiochytrium Sp. (EEA-SQ) in hAECs using whole-genome DNA microarray analysis. Tissue enrichment analysis showed that the brain was the most significantly enriched tissue by the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between EEA-SQ-treated and control hAECs. Further gene set enrichment analysis and tissue-specific functional analysis revealed biological functions related to nervous system development, neurogenesis, and neurotransmitter modulation. Several adipose tissue-specific genes and functions were also enriched. Gene-disease association analysis showed nervous system-, metabolic-, and immune-related diseases were enriched. Altogether, our study suggests the potential health benefits of microalgae-derived SQ and we would further encourage investigation in EEA-SQ and its derivatives as potential therapeutics for nervous system- and metabolism-related diseases.
Highlights
In recent years, stem cells have been used extensively in high-throughput drug screening, from identifying target compounds to evaluating compounds at the preclinical stage [1,2,3]
We investigated the bioactivities of squalene (SQ) derived from a microalgae Aurantiochytrium sp. in human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) using whole-genome transcriptome analysis
At day 7, 1841 genes were differentially expressed in the ethanol extract of Aurantiochytrium 18W-13a (EEA)-SQ treated hAECs compared to control hAEC
Summary
Stem cells have been used extensively in high-throughput drug screening, from identifying target compounds to evaluating compounds at the preclinical stage [1,2,3]. Stem cell-based methods reduce the period of product development and rate of attrition of new therapeutics, their invasive extraction procedures, expensive cell reprogramming and maintenance procedures, and ethical constraints are the primary impediments to considering them as practical sources for drug screening [5]. In this regard, perinatal stem cells, such as human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs), are gaining interest as a novel source of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) with significant. We have reported the differentiation-inducing potential of rosmarinic acid, 3,4,5-tri-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and isorhamnetin in hAECs [15,20,21]
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