Neural Stem Cells for Developmental Neurotoxicity Studies

The developing nervous system is particularly susceptible to toxicants, and exposure during development may result in long-lasting neurological impairments. The damage can range from subtle to severe, and it may impose substantial burdens on affected individuals, their families, and society. Given the little information available on developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) and the growing number of chemicals that need to be tested, new testing strategies and approaches are necessary to identify developmental neurotoxic agents with speed, reliability, and respect for animal welfare. So far, there are no validated alternative methods for DNT testing. Recently, neural stem/progenitor cells have been proposed as relevant models for alternative DNT testing. In this chapter, we provide detailed protocols for culturing neural stem cells (NSCs), in vitro experimental models, including primary cultures of rat and human embryonic NSCs, rat and mouse adult NSCs, as well as the mouse NSC line C17.2 that we have implemented and successfully used for neurotoxicity studies.