1 research outputs found
6‑<i>O</i>‑Sulfated Chitosan Promoting the Neural Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can be
induced to differentiate into
nerve cells, endowing them with potential applications in the treatment
of neurological diseases and neural repair. In this work, we report
for the first time that sulfated chitosan can promote the neural differentiation
of ESCs. As a type of sulfated glycosaminoglycan analog, sulfated
chitosan with well-defined sulfation sites and a controlled degree
of sulfation (DS) were prepared through simple procedures and the
influence of sulfated glycosaminoglycan on neural differentiation
of ESCs was investigated. Compared with other sulfation sites, 6-<i>O</i>-sulfated chitosan showed the most optimal effects. By
monitoring the expression level of neural differentiation markers
using immunofluorescence staining and PCR, it was found that neural
differentiation was better enhanced by increasing the DS of 6-<i>O</i>-sulfated chitosan. However, increasing the DS by introducing
another sulfation site in addition to the 6-<i>O</i> site
to chitosan did not promote neural differentiation as much as 6-<i>O</i>-sulfated chitosan, indicating that compared with DS, the
sulfation site is more important. Additionally, the optimal concentration
and incubation time of 6-<i>O</i>-sulfated chitosan were
investigated. Together, our results indicate that the sulfate site
and the molecular structure in a sulfated polysaccharide are very
important for inducing the differentiation of ESCs. Our findings may
help to highlight the role of sulfated polysaccharide in inducing
the neural differentiation of ESCs