Lecithin / stem cells



Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2005 Mar 25;328(4):1051-7. Related
Articles, Links


Lecithinized brain-derived neurotrophic factor promotes the
differentiation of embryonic stem cells in vitro and in vivo.

Kitagawa A, Nakayama T, Takenaga M, Matsumoto K, Tokura Y, Ohta Y,
Ichinohe M, Yamaguchi Y, Suzuki N, Okano H, Igarashi R.

Department of Frontier Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, St.
Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8512, Japan.

The addition of lecithin molecules to brain-derived neurotrophic factor
(BDNF) has been reported to markedly enhance its pharmacological effect
in vivo. In the current study, we show that lecithinized BDNF (PC-BDNF)
has a higher affinity than BDNF for neural precursor cells. Although
BDNF only slightly increased the expression of the genes for Mash-1,
p35, 68kDa neurofilament, and TrkB receptor, PC-BDNF caused a
significant increase in their expression. PC-BDNF also increased the
level of neurofilament protein and dramatically increased TrkB mRNA
gene expression, which was followed by a sustained activation of the
p42/p44 extracellular-regulated kinases. Finally, transplantation of
PC-BDNF-treated cells was more effective than BDNF-treated cells at
improving impaired motor function caused by spinal cord injury. These
findings showed that PC-BDNF has a better potential than BDNF for
promoting neural differentiation, partly due to a higher cellular
affinity. Furthermore, PC-BDNF-treated cells could be useful for
transplantation therapy for central nervous system injuries.

PMID: 15707984 [PubMed - in process]

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