The amyloid -β peptide (Aβ) is the main component of the amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD). It has been widely demonstrated that Aβ is toxic to neurons and is associated with AD pathology. However, Aβ also appears to have an important biological function both in the adult brain and throughout embryonic development of the nervous system, acting as a trophic factor at low concentrations.It is known that Neural Stem Cells (NSCs) are capable of self-renewal and differentiate into functional glial and neuronal cells. Therefore, human NSCs may be a hope for future therapeutic application in neurodegenerative diseases such as AD. The effects of Aβ peptides on NSCs are still not well understood and remain controversial.In this chapter we outline the materials and methods used for the culture and differentiation of hNS1 cells, a cell line of human NSCs. We describe the preparation of different forms (monomeric, oligomeric and fibrillary) of Aβ peptide and subsequent cell treatment, followed by the analysis of the effects on toxicity, cell proliferation and cell fate specification of hNS1 cells.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Aβ peptide; Human neural stem cells; Neurogenesis; Neurotoxicity; Proliferation.