摘要:
A method for promoting differentiation of clonogenic neural stem cells (NSCs), comprising administering to a patient in the need of such promoting a coumarin compound represented by formula I or by formula II. The representative coumarin compounds include 7-hydroxycoumarin, daphnoretin, scopoletin, edgeworin, aesculetin and esculetin-6-β-D-glucopyranoside. The coumarin compounds showed significant activity of directing the differentiation of NSCs in pharmacological test and thereof could be used to prepare drugs to direct NSCs differentiated to oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) for the treatment of demyelinating diseases or spinal cord injury. The drug could be a pure coumarin compound or a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutical dose of a coumarin compound as active ingredients and a pharmaceutically-acceptable carrier. The content of the active ingredients in the pharmaceutical composition is between 0.1% and 99.5% by weight.