Human Umbilical Cord Blood-Derived Neural Stem Cell Line as a Screening Model for Toxicity

The aim was to investigate whether a human neural stem cell (NSC) line derived from human umbilical cord blood (hUCB) can be used for toxicity study. Toxicity of both neurotoxic environmental xenobiotics, methyl mercury chloride (CH3HgCl), lead acetate (CH3COOPb), and chlorpyrifos (CP), and non-neurotoxic insecticide, dichlorvos, as well as non-neurotoxic drugs, theophylline and acetaminophen were assessed. Additionally, differentiation of neuronal and glial cell lines derived from hUCB was elucidated. It was observed that CH3HgCl was more toxic to human NSCs in comparison to CH3COOPb and CP. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value against NSCs was 3, 10, and 300 mg/L, in each staining process, acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and Hoechst staining, for CH3HgCl, CP, and CH3COOPb, respectively. CH3HgCl had the LC25 value as 10.0, 14.4, and 12.7 mg/L, by staining method mentioned in succession. CP had the LC25 value as 21.9, 23.7, and 18.4 mg/L; similarly, CH3COOPb had LC25 values, successively as 616.9, 719.2, and 890.3 mg/L. LC50 values ranged from 18.2 to 21.7 mg/L for CH3HgCl, 56.4 to 60.2 mg/L for CP, and 1000 to 1460.1 for CH3COOPb. Theophylline, acetaminophen, and dichlorvos had no impact on the viability of NSCs. This work justified that hUCB-NSC model can be used for toxicity study.