The Effect of Metformin on the Expression of Neurotrophic Genes in Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Background and aim: using mesenchymal stem cells for replace damaged cells and tissues is a therapeutic strategy. much attention has been paid to improving culture conditions, increasing the capacity and capability of mscs for cell transplantation. in this study, the expression of neurotrophic genes at passage 3 of metformin-treated rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells was evaluated. methods: bone marrow cells were isolated from the femor and tibia bones, and then the extracted stem cells were cultured in a 96-well plate, and treated with 1, 5, 10, 15 and 50 µm of metformin for 24 h. then expression of neurotrophic genes bdnf, gdnf and nt3 was also determined in metformin-treated cells by rt-pcr. results: cells induced by 50 µm metformin showed a significant increase in the expression of bdnf and gdnf genes. conclusion: therefore, metformin may be suggested as a pre-therapist to strengthen mesenchymal stem cells before transplantation for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.