Low‐dose curcumin stimulates proliferation of rat embryonic neural stem cells through glucocorticoid receptor and STAT3

• Published in: CNS neuroscience & therapeutics 2018-10, Vol.24 (10), p.940-946
• Main Authors: Ma, Xiao‐Xiao, Liu, Jin, Wang, Chun‐Man, Zhou, Jiang‐Ping, He, Zhen‐Zhou, Lin, Han
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal - pharmacology; Bromodeoxyuridine - metabolism; Cell proliferation; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Cells, Cultured; Curcumin; Curcumin - pharmacology; Cytotoxicity; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Embryo cells; Embryo, Mammalian; glucocorticoid receptor; Glucocorticoids; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase - metabolism; neural stem cell; Neural stem cells; Neural Stem Cells - drug effects; Notch1 protein; Original; proliferation; Proteins; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, Glucocorticoid - genetics; Receptors, Glucocorticoid - metabolism; RNA, Messenger; signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; Stat3 protein; STAT3 Transcription Factor - genetics; STAT3 Transcription Factor - metabolism; Stem cell transplantation; Transcription
• ISSN: 1755-5930; 1755-5949
• DOI: 10.1111/cns.12843

Summary Aims This study was to determine whether curcumin had any effect on the proliferation of neural stem cell (NSC), analyze the expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and Notch1 at transcription and protein level, and discuss the related mechanisms. Methods and results NSCs were harvested from E15 SD rat brain and cultured. All experiments were performed at the second passage. Cell cytotoxicity, cell viability, and proliferation assays were used to figure out the optimal concentration of curcumin, which can be used for the protein and mRNA studies. The results showed that by downregulation of GR and STAT3 expression, 0.5 μmol L−1 curcumin exhibited the most pronounced effect in promoting the proliferation of NSCs, which were also induced by antagonists of GR and STAT3, but was inhibited by GR agonist. Conclusion This study shows that low‐dose curcumin stimulates the proliferation of NSCs, which is probably by inhibiting the mRNA and protein expressions of GR and directly or indirectly regulating the STAT3 via the synergistic effect of GR and STAT3 pathways and its related signal pathways.