Chiro-Optical Modulation for NURR1 Production from Stem Cells

Nuclear receptor related 1 (NURR1) is an essential protein for maintenance of dopaminergic neurons in adult midbrain of which deficiency leads to Parkinson's disease. To enhance the NURRI production of neural cells, various approaches are under investigation. Here we report that NURRI is highly expressed in stem cells by exposure to an L-polarized blue light emitting diode (LED). Compared to stem cells cultured in the absence of a LED, under polarized green and red LEDs, the stem cells exposed to a polarized blue LED significantly enhanced neuronal biomarkers such as neurofilament M (NFM) and neuron specific enolase (NSE) at both mRNA and protein levels. In particular, NURRI was selectively enhanced by the stem cells exposed to the L-polarized blue LED. Stem cells exposed to the L-polarized blue LED increased mitochondrial ATP and intracellular calcium ions, which support neuronal differentiation of the stem cells. This study suggests that chiro-optical treatments by using polarized light with a specific wavelength can be used for engineering of stem cells with enhanced specific biochemicals, which may open a new method for a specific disease.