The Effects of Bilirubin and Lumirubin on the Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Cell-Derived Neural Stem Cells.

Abstract

The 'gold standard' treatment of severe neonatal jaundice is phototherapy with blue-green light, which produces more polar photo-oxidation products that are easily excreted via the bile or urine. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of bilirubin (BR) and its major photo-oxidation product lumirubin (LR) on the proliferation, differentiation, morphology, and specific gene and protein expressions of self-renewing human pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem cells (NSC). Neither BR nor LR in biologically relevant concentrations (12.5 and 25 µmol/L) affected cell proliferation or the cell cycle phases of NSC. Although none of these pigments affected terminal differentiation to neurons and astrocytes, when compared to LR, BR exerted a dose-dependent cytotoxicity on self-renewing NSC. In contrast, LR had a substantial effect on the morphology of the NSC, inducing them to form highly polar rosette-like structures associated with the redistribution of specific cellular proteins (β-catenin/N-cadherin) responsible for membrane polarity. This observation was accompanied by lower expressions of NSC-specific proteins (such as SOX1, NR2F2, or PAX6) together with the upregulation of phospho-ERK. Collectively, the data indicated that both BR and LR affect early human neurodevelopment in vitro, which may have clinical relevance in phototherapy-treated hyperbilirubinemic neonates.

• Authors: Nikola Capková, Veronika Pospíšilová, Veronika Fedorová, Jan Raška, Kateřina Pospíšilová, Matteo Dal Ben, Aleš Dvořák, Jitka Viktorová, Dáša Bohačiaková, Libor Vítek
• Journal: Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) (Antioxidants (Basel)) Vol. 10 Issue 10 (Sep 27 2021) ISSN: 2076-3921 [Print] Switzerland
• PMID: 34679668 (Publication Type: Journal Article)