<span class="fontstyle۰">Cannabidiol Drives Efficient Neural Differentiation of Human Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Small-Molecule Approach for <span class="fontstyle۰">In Vitro <span class="fontstyle۰">Neurogenesis

Introduction: Over the past decade, research on small molecules such as cannabidiol (CBD) has expanded due to their ability to modulate biological pathways through protein interactions. Understanding how mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) differentiate into neural-like cells is crucial for developing effective therapies for neurological disorders. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of cannabidiol, as a cost-effective small-molecule inducer, in promoting the neural differentiation of human Wharton’s jelly MSCs (hWJ-MSCs) in vitro and to determine the optimal non-cytotoxic dose for this purpose.Materials and Methods: The optimal CBD dose (۵ μg/ml) was first determined using the MTT assay and acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining. To evaluate neural differentiation potential, the expression of neural marker genes, MAP-۲, NSE, Oligo-۲, β-tubulin III, and GFAP, was assessed by real-time PCR at ۷ and ۱۴ days’ post-induction.Results: The results demonstrated significant upregulation of neural marker genes at ۷ and ۱۴ days after CBD treatment, confirming successful induction of neural differentiation.Conclusions: The designed protocol is highly effective and efficient for inducing neural differentiation. Further in vivo studies using biocompatible scaffolds are necessary to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and therapeutic implications of these findings.

کلیدواژه ها:

Cannabidiol ، Small molecules ، Wharton's Jelly mesenchymal stem cells ، Neural-like Cells