2. Academic Validation
  3. Aromatic-turmerone induces neural stem cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo

Aromatic-turmerone induces neural stem cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo

  • Stem Cell Res Ther. 2014 Sep 26;5(4):100. doi: 10.1186/scrt500.
Joerg Hucklenbroich 1 2,  Rebecca Klein 3 4,  Bernd Neumaier 5,  Rudolf Graf 6,  Gereon Rudolf Fink 7 8,  Michael Schroeter 9 10 11,  Maria Adele Rueger 12 13 14
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Juelich, Leo-Brandt-Straße 52425, Jülich, Germany. [email protected].
  • 2 Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. [email protected].
  • 3 Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. [email protected].
  • 4 Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research, Cologne, Germany. [email protected].
  • 5 Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research, Cologne, Germany. [email protected].
  • 6 Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research, Cologne, Germany. [email protected].
  • 7 Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Juelich, Leo-Brandt-Straße 52425, Jülich, Germany. [email protected].
  • 8 Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. [email protected].
  • 9 Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Juelich, Leo-Brandt-Straße 52425, Jülich, Germany. [email protected].
  • 10 Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. [email protected].
  • 11 Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research, Cologne, Germany. [email protected].
  • 12 Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Juelich, Leo-Brandt-Straße 52425, Jülich, Germany. [email protected].
  • 13 Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. [email protected].
  • 14 Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research, Cologne, Germany. [email protected].
PMID: 25928248 DOI: 10.1186/scrt500
Abstract

Introduction: Aromatic (ar-) turmerone is a major bioactive compound of the herb Curcuma longa. It has been suggested that ar-turmerone inhibits microglia activation, a property that may be useful in treating neurodegenerative disease. Furthermore, the effects of ar-turmerone on neural stem cells (NSCs) remain to be investigated.

Methods: We exposed primary fetal rat NSCs to various concentrations of ar-turmerone. Thereafter, cell proliferation and differentiation potential were assessed. In vivo, naïve rats were treated with a single intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of ar-turmerone. Proliferative activity of endogenous NSCs was assessed in vivo, by using noninvasive positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and the tracer [(18)F]-fluoro-L-thymidine ([(18)F]FLT), as well as ex vivo.

Results: In vitro, ar-turmerone increased dose-dependently the number of cultured NSCs, because of an increase in NSC proliferation (P < 0.01). Proliferation data were supported by qPCR-data for Ki-67 mRNA. In vitro as well as in vivo, ar-turmerone promoted neuronal differentiation of NSCs. In vivo, after i.c.v. injection of ar-turmerone, proliferating NSCs were mobilized from the subventricular zone (SVZ) and the hippocampus of adult rats, as demonstrated by both [(18)F]FLT-PET and histology (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: Both in vitro and in vivo data suggest that ar-turmerone induces NSC proliferation. Ar-turmerone thus constitutes a promising candidate to support regeneration in neurologic disease.

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