product photo of a bottle of StemPro Neural Supplement

A serum‑free supplement for culturing neural stem cells (NSCs) and glial precursor cells (GPCs), StemPro Neural Supplement supports vigorous proliferation while maintaining multipotency. In addition, differentiation into astrocytes can be achieved without the undefined factors found in serum-containing media.

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You can use StemPro Neural Supplement to:

  • Expand human and rat NSCs, NPCs and GPCs
  • Maintain multipotency and marker expression during proliferation
  • Support both adherent and neurosphere cultures
  • Drive differentiation into astrocytes and neurons in a serum-free culture environment


Practical advantages of StemPro Neural Supplement

  • Consistency: chemically defined, serum-free formulation produced under cGMP
  • Easy culture adaptation: minimal adaptation required from serum-containing protocols
  • Versatility: supports NSC, NPC, and GPC proliferation as well as differentiation


Media formulation for culturing NSCs with StemPro Neural Supplement

ProductStock concentrationFinal concentrationFor 100 mLFor 500 mL
StemPro Neural Supplement50x1x2 mL10 mL
KnockOut DMEM/F-121x1x97 mL485 mL
GlutaMAX-I Supplement100x1x1 mL5 mL
bFGF20 μg/mL20 ng/mL100 μL500 μL
EGF10 μg/mL10 ng/mL100 μL500 μL


Provides excellent proliferation of PCs and retains their multipotent differentiation potential

StemPro Neural Supplement enables excellent expansion of GPCs, resulting in a more than 50-fold increase in cell number ( Figure 1).
graph showing # of cells per passage of GPCs cultured with StemPro Neural Supplement

Figure 1. StemPro Neural Supplement supports GPC proliferation. GPCs were cultured in medium supplemented with StemPro Neural Supplement. Every 7 days, cells were harvested and replated for further proliferation and accumulated cell number was documented. After passage 3, accumulated cell number was more than 50-fold higher than starting cell numbers.

Compared to GPCs cultured in StemPro Neural Supplement ( Figure 2A), GPCs cultured in a competitor medium do not passage further and lose their progenitor state to differentiate into astrocytes ( Figure 2B).
 
graph showing # of cells per passage of GPCs cultured with StemPro Neural Supplement

Figure 2.StemPro Neural Supplement supports GPC expansion. GPCs were cultured either in (A) Gibco medium with StemPro Neural Supplement or (B) ScienCell™ OPC medium. During the 3-week culture period, cells cultured in Gibco medium could be passaged 3 times resulting in 50-fold more cells while retaining their phenotype. However, cells cultured in the competitor medium did not increase in number but resulted in a loss of normal phenotype and differentiation to downstream lineages such as astrocytes (large cell body).

Media formulation for culturing GPCs with StemPro Neural Supplement

ProductStock concentrationFinal concentrationFor 100 mLFor 500 mL
StemPro Neural Supplement50x1x2x10 mL
KnockOut DMEM/F-121x1x97 mL485 mL
GlutaMAX-I Supplement100x1x1 mL5 mL
bFGF10 μg/mL10 ng/mL100 μL500 μL
PDGF-AA10 μg/mL10 ng/mL97 mL485 mL
Human GPCs cultured in StemPro Neural Supplement retain their undifferentiated state as demonstrated by phenotypic marker expression of PDGFRa, Olig2, and N2 markers ( Figure 3).
 
three panels showing GPC expression of PDGFRa, Olig2, and NG2 when cultured in StemPro Neural Supplement

Figure 3. Phenotype marker expression of the human GPCs cultured in medium supplemented with StemPro Neural Supplement. GPCs were labeled with GPC biomarkers such as PDGFRa, Olig2 and NG2. The data reveal the ability of StemPro Neural Supplement to support GPCs to retain their undifferentiated status.

GPCs grown in StemPro Neural Supplement retain their differentiation potential into oligodendrocytes and astrocytes ( Figure 4).
 
two panels of fluorescence microscopy showing differentiation into oligodendrocytes and astrocytes
Figure 4. Differentiation potential of GPCs grown in StemPro Neural Supplement. Human GPCs were proliferated in the medium supplemented with StemPro Neural Supplement then differentiated further to (A) oligodendrocytes and to (B) astrocytes. Oligodendrocytes were stained with biomarker of GalC (green) and astrocytes were stained with biomarker of GFAP (Red). All nuclei were labeled with DAPI.


Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about StemPro Neural Supplement

Is StemPro Neural Supplement serum free?

Yes, StemPro Neural Supplement is serum free.

What are the intended uses of StemPro Neural Supplement?

StemPro Neural Supplement is a serum-free additive for the growth and expansion of neural stem and progenitor cells. For research use only.

Do I need to add other supplements in addition to StemPro Neural Supplement?

Mixing of StemPro Neural Supplement with a basal medium, such as Knockout DMEM/F-12 or Neurobasal medium, and the addition of appropriate quantities of recommended growth factors yields a complete medium.

What are the key applications of StemPro Neural Supplement?

StemPro Neural Supplement supports the growth and expansion of neural stem cells and progenitor cells. It also supports the survival of neurons and differentiation of progenitor cells to astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and neurons. Its application can also be extended to transplantation studies and screening of drug candidates.

What species can I use StemPro Neural Supplement to culture?

StemPro Neural Supplement can be used for human and rat NSCs, GPCs, and some neuronal progenitors.

References

  1. Brewer, G.J., Torricelli, J.R., Evege, E.K., and Price, P.J. (1993) J. Neuroscience Res. 35, 567.
  2. Mahendra S. Rao (2005) Neural Development and Stem Cells. Humana Press; 2nd edition.
  3. Laurie C. Doering (2009) Protocols for Neural Cell Culture. Humana Press; 4th edition

Neural supplement resources

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Intended use of the products mentioned on this page vary. For specific intended use statements please refer to the product label.

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