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

Background and Objective: Many diseases of the central nervous system, such asbrain and spinal cord injury, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral ischemic stroke, Parkinson’sdisease, Alzheimer’s disease and so on, which are of different degrees and ways of nervecell loss or degeneration and death, could result nerve function damage. However, thetraditional treatment to these diseases was not significant. Discovery of neural stemcells and progress in transplantation have brought new ideas and methods for theirtherapy.The purpose of this research is to explore the methods of isolation, cultivation anddifferentiation of human fetal neural stem cells, and to observe the characteristics ofproliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells in vitro.Methods: The neural stem cells was isolated from human fetal brain at embryonic age8-16by induction of labor with water bag. A serum free medium containing basicfibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) was used tocultured and expanded neural stem cells. The cells were cultured, passed anddifferentiated. Cultured and differentiated cells were identified withimmunofluorescence test.Results: The human neural stem cells having the abilities of self-renew andmultipotency were successfully isolated and cultured from human fetal brain with serum free medium. They formed typical neurospheres in suspension. The cells could beamplified and passed continuously, expressing Nestin antigen. Serum medium inducedneural stem cells to differentiate and express specific antigens of neuron and astrocyte.Conclusion: The neural stem cells isolated from human fetal brain can be cultured andexpanded in vitro, which have the abilities of self-renewal and multipotency. It providesa new approach for the culture of human fetal neural stem cells in vitro.