TEMPO Cellulose Supports Survival and in Vitro Differentiation of Rat Neural Stem Cell

Cellulose based materials are being studied extensively for applications in the biomedical field due to its abundance, amenability and biocompatibility. Novel, stable TEMPO cellulose materials were created utilizing the TEMPO/NaOCl/Oxone® (KHSO5) with microwave irradiation method. We further tested these TEMPO cellulose materials as an extracellular matrix substratum to support in vitro neural stem cell (NSC) differentiation into neurons/oligodendrocytes (ODCs). Rat NSCs harvested at E14 (embryonic day 14) were propagated and differentiated on a TEMPO cellulose-coated culture surface in neuron-favoring conditions for 7 days. At day 7, immunocytochemical staining was performed to determine the percentage of cells positive for neuronal marker βIII tubulin and MAPII, and astrocytic marker GFAP (glial marker glial fibrillary acidic protein) relative to the total cell count. About 33% and 25% of NSCs on TEMPO cellulose substratum differentiated into neurons and astrocytes respectively, comparable to the traditional poly-D-lysine surface. Separate batches of NSCs were propagated for 10 days using combinations of platelet derived and basic fibroblast growth factors and differentiated on the TEMPO cellulose surface under ODC-favoring culture conditions. By day 7, about 70% and 30% of NSCs differentiated into Rip (receptor interacting protein)+ ODCs and GFAP+ astrocytes, respectively. These results indicate that TEMPO cellulose is a viable material supporting stem cell survival and differentiation in vitro.