Using a Macrophage Conditioned Medium to Promote Neuron Extensions

Source: Yun, H. J., et al. Neuron-Macrophage Co-cultures to Activate Macrophages Secreting Molecular Factors with Neurite Outgrowth Activity. J. Vis. Exp. (2018). This video demonstrates an assay for promoting the growth of neuron projections known as neurite outgrowth using the macrophage-conditioned medium. Co-culture neurons and macrophages with cAMP and harvest the macrophage-derived conditioned medium. Growing the neurons with the conditioned medium promotes neurite outgrowths. These outgrowths are fluorescently labeled and visualized using a fluorescence microscope.