Collagen nanofibers facilitated presynaptic maturation in differentiated neurons from spinal-cord-derived neural stem cells through MAPK/ERK1/2-Synapsin I signaling pathway

Biomacromolecules. 2014 Jul 14;15(7):2449-60. doi: 10.1021/bm500321h. Epub 2014 Jul 1.

Abstract

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are deemed to be a potential cell therapy for brain and spinal cord reconstruction and regeneration following injury. In this study, we investigated the role of nanofibrous scaffolds on NSCs-derived neurons in the formation of neural networks. Miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) were recorded using the whole-cell patch clamp recording method after the spinal cord-derived NSCs were differentiated into neurons and cultured in vitro for 10-14 days. It was observed that the frequency of mEPSCs in the differentiated neurons cultured on both randomly oriented and aligned collagen nanofibrous scaffolds was higher than that on the collagen-coated control and can be inhibited by an ERK inhibitor (PD98059), indicating that the collagen nanofibers affected the maturation of the synapses from presynaptic sites via the MAPK/ERK1/2 pathway. In addition, both of the collagen nanofibers increased the phosphorylation of Synapsin I and facilitated the interaction of p-ERK1/2 and p-Synapsin I. All these results suggested that the collagen nanofibrous scaffolds contributed to the presynaptic maturation via the ERK1/2-Synapsin I signaling pathway.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn
  • Cell Differentiation / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Collagen / chemistry*
  • Flavonoids / pharmacology
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / metabolism
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / metabolism
  • Nanofibers / chemistry*
  • Nerve Regeneration / drug effects*
  • Nerve Regeneration / physiology
  • Neural Stem Cells / drug effects*
  • Neural Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Neurons / cytology
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Neurosurgical Procedures
  • Phosphorylation
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Signal Transduction
  • Spinal Cord / cytology
  • Spinal Cord / drug effects
  • Synapsins / metabolism
  • Tissue Scaffolds / chemistry

Substances

  • Flavonoids
  • Synapsins
  • Collagen
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3
  • 2-(2-amino-3-methoxyphenyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one