Combining dopamine and vitamin E enhances the differentiation to cholinergic neurons of mesenchymal stem cells

Recent research indicates that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can transdifferentiate into neuron-like cells under specific conditions, offering promise for neuronal regeneration. However, challenges remain in optimizing differentiation protocols to generate specific neuron types. This study explores the impact of supplementing neuronal induction media with dopamine and vitamin E to guide MSCs toward specific neuronal subtypes. Human adipose-MSCs were utilized to investigate neuronal differentiation. The cells were cultured in induction media supplemented with 2 concentrations of dopamine (2.5 and 5 µM) and vitamin E (12.5 and 25 µM). Immunostaining and western blot analysis were employed to assess the sequential expression of neuronal markers associated with various stages of maturation and development. These markers included Nestin, MAP2, NeuN, TBR1, SATB2, DAT, DBH, and CHAT. The results demonstrate, for the first time, that supplementing neuronal induction media with dopamine and vitamin E significantly enhances and accelerates the differentiation of MSCs into neuronal cells. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the induced cells are predominantly reprogrammed toward a cholinergic neuronal lineage. For MSCs, our study reveals that the addition of dopamine and vitamin E reprograms MSCs mainly toward cholinergic neurons, suggesting promising approaches for treating neurodegenerative disorders.