Establishment of efficient differentiation conditions from tonsil-derived mesenchymal stem cells to motor neuron cells

Abstract

Background & Aim Tonsil-derived MSCs (T-MSCs) present typical features of MSCs, including the ability to differentiate into tissues of the three primary germ layers, and have excellent proliferation capacity and ease of source supply are useful for stem cell therapy in various disease states. Previously, we reported that T-MSCs can be differentiated into skeletal myocytes and Schwann-like cell, which are therefore a promising candidate in cell therapies for neuromuscular disease. Motor neurons are differentiated cells that control voluntary actions and are affected primarily by a wide spectrum of neurological disorders, generally indicated as motor neuron diseases (MNDs). MNDs may present with a range of symptoms deriving from muscular weakness/atrophy and leading to death, but no effective treatment exists for these illnesses. Therefore, we investigated the potential of motor neuron-like cells (MNCs) differentiated from T-MSCs for overcome of MNDs. Methods, Results & Conclusion After the MN differentiating in our own methods, we confirmed that the expression of MN-related markers, including ISL1, HB9, ChAT in T-MSC-MNCs has increased compared to T-MSCs. Also, to test their functional efficiency, the change of acetylcholine secretion in the culture medium under the differentiation into T-MSC-MNCs was measured. Furthermore, by confirming the acetylcholine receptor clusters when co-culturing T-MSC-MNCs and human skeletal muscle cells, which was demonstrated the T-MSC-MNCs could form neuromuscular junctions. The functional improvements afforded by these T-MSC-MNCs are potentially useful in the treatment of human MNDs caused by genetic, viral, and environmental problems.