Valproic Acid (VPA) is a cell-permeable, small molecule that has been shown to affect several pathways 1. VPA is a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor which improves reprogramming efficiency by at least 100 fold 2. VPA also has been found to affect both the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), protein kinase C (PKC), and the wnt/β-catenin pathways. VPA has been reported to regulate the differentiation and proliferation of various cells, including mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cells, neuroblastoma cells, primary neurons and neural progenitor cells (NPCs) 1. In the case of hepatic differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells, valproic acid in combination with cytokines differentiate cells into a uniform and homogeneous cell population of hepatic progenitor cells followed by maturation into functional hepatocytes 3
Product Specification
CAS Number 1069-66-5
Molecular Formula C8H16O2 · Na
Formula Weight 167.2
Purity ≥95%
Storage -20°C, Stability 2 years
1. Jung, G., Yoon, J., Moon, B., Yang, D., Kim, H., Lee, S., Bryja, V., Arenas, E., Choi, K. (2008). Valproic acid induces differentiation and inhibition of proliferation in neural progenitor cells via the beta-catenin-Ras-ERK-p21Cip/WAFI pathway. BMC Cell Biology 9:66 1-12.
2. Huangfu, d., Maehr, R., Guo, W., Eijkelenboom, A., Snitow, M., Chen, A., Melton, D. (2009). Induction of pluripotent stem cells by defined factors is greatly improved by small-molecule compounds. Nat Biotech 26: 795-797.
3. Dong, X., Zhang, G., Zhou, Q., Pan, R., Chen, Y., Xizng, L., Shao, J. (2009). Direct hepatic differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells induced by valproic acid and cytokines. World J of Gastroenterology 15: 5165-5175
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