To further study the applications of biomaterials on nerve regeneration, developing novel techniques in tissue engineering is necessary. Among which, combining Chinese medical science with tissue engineering can be seen a major trend in studies of neuroscience. In this study, we tried to examine the biochemical effects of several herbal extracts, such as ginsenoside, astragaloside, and bilobalide, on Schwann cells. We also studied the markers in cultured Schwann cells treated with aforementioned herbal extracts. We therefore are able to determine the optimal concentration of a certain herbal extract(s) on promoting the differentiation of Schwann cells, which can be used in our future research associated with nerve regeneration in-vivo.
