Effects of HDAC inhibitors on neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell differentiation into mature neurons via the Wnt signaling pathway

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors affect cell homeostasis, gene expression, and cell cycle progression and promote cell terminal differentiation or apoptosis.

However, the effect of HDAC inhibition on SH-SY5Y cells, which are neuroblastoma cells capable of differentiating into neurons under specific conditions, such as in the presence of retinoic acid (RA), is unknown.

In this study, we hypothesized that HDAC inhibitors induced the neuronal differentiation of SH-SY5Y cells.

To test this hypothesis, we used phase contrast microscopy, immunocytochemistry (ICC), qPCR, and western blotting analysis.

MS-275 and valproic acid (VPA), two HDAC inhibitors, were selected to evaluate neuronal differentiation.

It was confirmed that cells treated with MS-275 or VPA differentiated into mature neurons, which were distinguished by bipolar or multipolar morphologies with elongated branches.

In addition, the mRNA expression of neuronal markers (Tuj1 and NEFH) and the oligodendrocyte marker (CNP) was significantly increased with MS-275 or VPA treatment compared to that with RA treatment.

In addition, the protein expression of the other neuronal markers, Tuj1 and NeuN, was highly increased with HDAC inhibitor treatments compared to that with RA treatment.

Furthermore, we confirmed that noncanonical Wnt signaling was upregulated by HDAC inhibitors via MAPK signaling and the Wnt/JNK pathway.

Therefore, both MS-275 and VPA promoted the differentiation of SH-SY5Y cells into mature neurons via the Wnt signaling pathway.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12868-023-00798-0.