Cyclosporin A enhances cardiac differentiation by inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signaling in human embryonic stem cells

Abstract

Efficient cardiac differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is essential for their use in the field of basic research as well as in cell-based therapy. Regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is a key step in the process of cardiac differentiation of hPSCs. In this study, we reported cyclosporin A (CsA), a strong immunosuppressor, as an inducer of cardiac differentiation in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Our results showed that CsA promoted cardiac differentiation in the mesodermal differentiation stage of hESCs and that this effect was mediated by the inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Therefore, our results provide novel information about CsA as a Wnt/β-catenin inhibitor as well as a strategy for the cardiac differentiation of hESCs.