Lovastatin alters neurotrophin expression in rat hippocampus-derived neural stem cells in vitro

Neural stem/progenitor cells hold valuable potential for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. The modulation of intrinsic growth factor expression, such as neurotrophins and their receptors, is a necessary step in achieving neural stem cells (NSCs) therapy. The statins have recently been reported to provide both anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. In the developing and mature nervous systems, neurotrophic factors are known to impact neuronal growth and survival. In this study, we investigated for a positive effect of lovastatin on the expression of neurotrophins in the neonatal rat hippocampus-derived NSCs. NSCs were isolated and cultured up to passage three. To confirm cellular identity, immunocytochemical evaluation and flow cytometry analysis were performed using specific antibodies. To determine the optimum concentration of lovastatin, the MTT assay was used. Neurotrophin expression was evaluated using quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Flow cytometry results demonstrated that NSCs were positive for nestin, a marker for neural progenitor cells. An increase in cellular viability was observed with a 24 h exposure of lovastatin. Moreover, results showed an increase in mRNA expression for all neurotrophins compared to the control group. Taken together, the results of this study add to the growing body of literature on the neuroprotective effects of statins in neurological disorders. Lovastatin is a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.