Inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) promotes the neural differentiation of full-term amniotic fluid-derived stem cells towards neural progenitor cells.

•The GSK3 inhibitor SB216763 promotes the self-renewal of CD117-positive hAFS cells.•The GSK3 inhibitor SB216763 promotes the direct differentiation of CD117-positive hAFS cells towards neural precursor cells.•This study provides a new protocol for hAFS cells to commit efficiently into a neural fate within a short period of time.