Research Article

Oleanolic Acid Induces Differentiation of Neural Stem Cells to Neurons: An Involvement of Transcription Factor Nkx-2.5

Figure 1

Effects of OA on neurosphere formation of neural stem cells in vitro. Single NSCs at a density of 500 cells/well were cultured in normal growth medium (NGM) containing DMEM/F12 supplemented with hrFGF for 7 days to form various sizes of neurospheres (a). The neurospheres expressed the NSC marker nestin (b). Single NSCs were exposed to NGM, DMSO (0.1%), and 1, 10, and 50 nM OA dissolved in DMSO (0.1%), respectively. OA caused a significant decrease in frequency of neurosphere formation (c). Scale bars: 100 μm. Results were expressed as mean ± SD of six independent experiments. * versus NGM.
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