Selegiline Increases the Mouse Neural Stem Cell Differentiation into Neurons

The effect of various agents on neural stem cells differentiation, because of their ability to use in neurodegenerative diseases, has been widely considered. In this study, the effect of selegiline on mouse neural stem cells differentiation was evaluated. Neural stem cells were isolated from the subventricular zone of the brain of male C57 mice (2-3 months of age). To assay the effect of selegiline on neural stem cells differentiation into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, immunocytochemical techniques were utilized. Neural stem cells were exposed to different concentrations of selegiline (nano to micro Molar) for 7 days. Subsequently, samples were exposed to specific antibodies against neurons (β tubulin), astrocytes (Glial fibrillary acidic protein or GFAP) and oligodendrocytes (Oligodendrocyte-specific protein or OSP). The differentiated cells were counted and reported as percent of total cells. Selegiline increased the β tubulin positive cells (0.001 to 0.1 μM) and decreased the GFAP positive cells (1 μM) compared to vehicle treated neural stem cells. We found that selegiline increased the differentiation of neural stem cells into neurons. Therefore, selegiline may be a reasonable choice to use in preparation of neural stem cells for transplantation.