Research Progress on Regulation of Proliferation and Differentiation of Neural Stem Cells by Traditional Chinese Medicine / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Neural stem cells (NSCs) have the potential of self-renewing and differentiation into neurons,astrocyte,as well as oligodentrocyte.Nowadays,neurogenesis and NSCs transplantation have become new strategies for the treatment of nervous system diseases.However,the disadvantages of NSCs transplantation also limit their progress,including low survival rate,difficulty in differentiation,tumorigenesis and difficulty in penetrating scar tissues.It is a novel issue on how to regulate the proliferation and differentiation of endogenous NSCs in adult neurogenesis.Drug-induced endogenous NSCs proliferation and differentiation is the potential strategy for the regenerative medicine,repairing damaged nerves and treating central nervous system diseases.As a traditional medicine in China,Chinese medicine has the characteristics of multi-target,multi-link and multi-channel treatment,and has unique advantages and broad prospects in promoting nerve regeneration.More and more studies have shown that Chinese herbal medicine could indirectly or directly regulate the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs through extracellular signaling pathways (such as Notch,Wnt/β-catenin,the Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) pathway),intracellular transcription factors,together with changing the microenvironment (neurotrophic factor BNDF).In this review,we focus on the traditional Chinese medicine formulae,Chinese patent medicine,single medicine,as well as their monomers,which regulate the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs,so as to provide a new strategy for the prevention and treatment of central nervous system diseases by traditional Chinese medicine.