Effect of Neurotrophin-3 on differentiation of rat hair follicle stem cells into neural like cells

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of NT-3 on the decrease of the differentiation time of bulge stem cells of rat hair follicle from neuron like cells. The bulge region of the rat whisker was isolated from and cultured in DMEM/F12 supplemented with epidermal growth factor (EGF) in 3 groups for 7,8 and 9 days. Then 10 ng /ml NT-3 was added to each group for 3 days. Finally, cell differentiation was assessed by immunocytochemistry using βⅢ-tubulin antibody and the result was compared with control groups. According to our results hair follicle bulge stem cells expressed CD34 and Nestin in 7-9 and 10-12 first days after cultivation respectively. By using NT-3 duration differentiation process the cells showed positive reaction to βⅢ-tubulin antibody. The results indicate that NT-3 can affect on differentiation speed even in less than 10 days.