Short communication: The effect of different concentrations of methylprednisolone on survival, proliferation and migration of neural stem/progenitor cells

Introduction: To address the question whether combination of methylprednisolone (MP) as an anti-inflammatory drug used in neurodegenerative diseases and neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) is safe, the present study was designed. Methods: Embryonic rat NS/PCs were exposed to different concentrations of MP and survival by MTT assay, proliferation by analyzing the number and diameter of neurospheres and the migration of the cells by neurosphere assay were evaluated. Results: The viability of NS/PCs reduced following exposure to 10, 15 and 20 µg/ml of MP. In addition, although the number of neurospheres didn’t change, exposure to different concentrations of MP resulted in formation of smaller neurospheres. Despite these undesirable effects, the highest concentration of MP (20 μg/ml) increased the migration capacity of the NS/PCs. Conclusion: The combination of MP and NS/PCs is not recommended due to the adverse effects of MP on survival and proliferation of NS/PCs.