Stemolecule™ Forskolin

Stemolecule Forskolin is a natural compound produced by the Indian Coleus plant (Coleus forskohlii)¹. It is used in several differentiation protocols for its ability to potentiate neuron differentiation^2,3. Forskolin is able to stimulate adenylate cyclase activity and increases cyclic AMP⁴. Cyclic AMP is a signaling molecule and key regulator of critical enzymes in cellular processes⁵. For example, cAMP can bind to protein kinase A (PKA) regulatory subunit and activate PKA which acts as a negative regulator of the hedgehog signaling pathway⁶.

Stemgent and the Stemolecule brand name are trademarks of REPROCELL Inc., Japan.

Product Name: Stemolecule Forskolin

Catalog Number: 04-0025

Size: 10 mg

Alternate Name(s): [(3R,4aR,5S,6S,6aS,10S,10aR,10bS)-3-ethenyl-6,10,10b-trihydroxy-3,4a,7,7,10a-pentamethyl-1-oxo-5,6,6a,8,9,10-hexahydro-2H-benzo[f]chromen-5-yl]acetate

Chemical Formula: C₂₂H₃₄O₇

Molecular Weight: 410.50

CAS Number: 66428-89-5

Purity: Greater than 97% by HPLC analysis

Formulation: White crystalline powder

Solubility: For a 10 mM concentrated stock solution of Forskolin, reconstitute the compound by adding 2.44 mL of DMSO to the entire contents of the vial. If precipitate is observed, warm the solution to 37 °C for 2 to 5 minutes. For cell culture, the media should be prewarmed prior to adding the reconstituted compound. Note: for most cells, the maximum tolerance to DMSO is less than 0.5%. This molecule is soluble in DMSO at 100 mM.

Storage and Stability: Store powder at 4 °C protected from light. Information about the stability of Stemolecules in solution is largely not available. As a general guideline, we recommend that stock solution be freshly made and stored in aliquots at −20 °C, protected from light. The effect of storage of stock solutions should be verified for each application.

Quality Control: The purity of Forskolin was determined by HPLC analysis. The accurate mass was determined by mass spectrometry. Cellular toxicity of Forskolin was tested on mouse embryonic stem cells.

Specification Sheets:

• 04-0025 Specifications Sheet

Safety Data Sheets:

• 04-0025 Safety Data Sheet

1. Chen, T.C., Hinton, D.R., Zidovetzki, R., and Hofman, F.M. Up-regulation of the cAMP/PKA pathway inhibits proliferation, induces differentiation, and leads to apoptosis in malignant gliomas. Lab Invest 78: 165-174 (1998).
2. Son, H., Kim, K.O., Kim, J.S., Chang, M.Y., Lee, S.H., and Lee, Y.S. Pairing of forskolin and KCl increases differentiation of immortalized hippocampal neurons in a CREB Serine 133 phosphorylation-dependent and extracellular-regulated protein kinase-independent manner. Neurosci Lett 308: 37-40 (2001).
3. Palmer, T.D., Takahashi, J., and Gage, F.H. The adult rat hippocampus contains primordial neural stem cells. Mol Cell Neurosci 8: 389-404 (1997).
4. Hedin, L., and Rosberg, S. Forskolin effects on the cAMP system and steroidogenesis in the immature rat ovary. Mol Cell Endocrinol 33: 69-80 (1983).
5. Sands, W.A., and Palmer, T.M. Regulating gene transcription in response to cyclic AMP elevation. Cell Signal 20: 460-466 (2008).
6. Hammerschmidt, M., Bitgood, M.J., and McMahon, A.P. Protein kinase A is a common negative regulator of hedgehog signaling in the vertebrate embryo. Genes Dev 10: 647-658 (1996).

Additional Publications

• Pan T; Chen Y; Zhuang Y; Yang F; Xu Y; Tao J; You K; Wang N; Wu T; Lin X; Wu F; Liu Y; Wang G; Li L-X. Synergistic modulation of signaling pathways to expand and maintain the bipotency of human hepatoblasts. Stem Cell Res Therapy 10:364 (2019).
• Zhu S; Russ HA; Wang X; Zhang M; Ma T; Xu T; Tang S; Hebrok M; Deng S. Human pancreatic β-like cells converted from fibroblasts. Nature Commun 7:10080 (2016).
• Saxena S; Ronn RE; Guibentif C; Moragheba R; Woods N-B. Cyclic AMP signaling through Epac axis modulates human hemogenic endothelium and enhances hematopoeitic cell generation. Stem Cell Rep doi:10.1016/j.stemcr.2016.03.006 (2016).
• Han Y-C, Lim Y; Duffieldl MD; Liu J; Manaph NPA; Yang M; Keating DJ; Zhou X-F. Direct reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts to neural stem cells by small molecules. Stem Cells International 2016:4304916 (2016).