Inductor

Advantages

Disadvantages

Chemical compounds

1. Induced cells rapidly change to neuronal morphology (in minutes or hours).

2. The inductors used are usually available in most laboratories.

1. Most protocols require a pre-induction step and an induction step.

2. Expression of a few neuronal markers. Some are expressed at baseline in undifferentiated MSCs.

3. The morphological changes observed may be produced by toxicity or cell stress rather than a differentiation process.

4. Most studies that use chemical substances as inducers show the efficiency for morphological changes but not for immunostaining for neuronal markers.

Growth factors

1. They produce an efficient differentiation demonstrated by immunofluorescence for neuronal markers.

2. Induction with these factors is very similar to that carried out endogenously.

3. Some protocols generate mature neurons with phenotypic and electrophysiological properties characteristic of neurons.

1. Its acquisition is more expensive compared to the other methods.

2. Cocktails of various growth factors are often required for effective induction.

3. Long exposure times are needed to observe the first morphological changes.