Isolation, Cultivation, Differentiation And Identification Of Human Fetal Neural Stem Cells In Vitro

Objective: To explore the methods of isolation, cultivation of neural stem cells from human embryonic brain, and to observe the characteristics of proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cell in vitro.Methods: The cells were derived from the eight-sixteen week embryonic brains digested by trypsin, and cultured in serum free medium with EGF, bFGF and B27. The differentiation of cells was induced by culture with 5% serum from fetal cattle. Nestin antigen, NF200 and GFAP were detected by immunofluorescence test.Results: Human neural stem cells from fresh embryonic brain were isolated successfully, and passaged continuously. The cells expressed Nestin antigen which was the marker for the neural stem cells, and the cells induced by serum expressed NF200 and GFAP.Conclusions: The cell groups with the characteristics of neural stem cells can be isolated and cultured in vitro from fetal brain. They can give us one new resource to the treatment of brain ischemia.