Agathisflavone enhances retinoic acid-induced neurogenesis and its receptors α and β in pluripotent stem cells

Stem Cells Dev. 2011 Oct;20(10):1711-21. doi: 10.1089/scd.2010.0446. Epub 2011 Mar 18.

Abstract

Flavonoids have key functions in the regulation of multiple cellular processes; however, their effects have been poorly examined in pluripotent stem cells. Here, we tested the hypothesis that neurogenesis induced by all-trans retinoic acid (RA) is enhanced by agathisflavone (FAB, Caesalpinia pyramidalis Tull). Mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (miPS) cells growing as embryoid bodies (EBs) for 4 days were treated with FAB (60 μM) and/or RA (2 μM) for additional 4 days. FAB did not interfere with the EB mitotic rate of mES cells, as evidenced by similar percentages of mitotic figures labeled by phospho-histone H3 in control (3.4% ± 0.4%) and FAB-treated groups (3.5% ± 1.1%). Nevertheless, the biflavonoid reduced cell death in both control and RA-treated EBs from mES cells by almost 2-fold compared with untreated EBs. FAB was unable, by itself, to induce neuronal differentiation in EBs after 4 days of treatment. On the other hand, FAB enhanced neuronal differentiation induced by RA in both EBs of mES and miPS. FAB increased the percentage of nestin-labeled cells by 2.7-fold (mES) and 2.4 (miPS) and β-tubulin III-positive cells by 2-fold (mES) and 2.7 (miPS) in comparison to RA-treated EBs only. FAB increased the expression of RA receptors α and β in mES EBs, suggesting that the availability of RA receptors is limiting RA-induced neurogenesis in pluripotent stem cells. This is the first report to describe that naturally occurring biflavonoids regulate apoptosis and neuronal differentiation in pluripotent stem cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biflavonoids / pharmacology*
  • Cell Count
  • Cell Death / drug effects
  • Cell Differentiation / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Embryoid Bodies / cytology
  • Embryoid Bodies / drug effects
  • Embryoid Bodies / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mitosis / drug effects
  • Neural Stem Cells / cytology
  • Neural Stem Cells / drug effects
  • Neurogenesis / drug effects*
  • Neurons / cytology
  • Neurons / drug effects
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Pluripotent Stem Cells / cytology
  • Pluripotent Stem Cells / drug effects
  • Pluripotent Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Receptors, Retinoic Acid / metabolism*
  • Retinoic Acid Receptor alpha
  • Tretinoin / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Biflavonoids
  • RARA protein, human
  • Rara protein, mouse
  • Receptors, Retinoic Acid
  • Retinoic Acid Receptor alpha
  • retinoic acid receptor beta
  • agathisflavone
  • Tretinoin