We induced human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hPMSCs) to differentiate into neural cells by adding chemical reagents,despite the fact that toxic chemicals induce cell shrinkage or cytoskeletal formation,which does not represent a proper cell differentiation process.The present study established a co-culture system with hPMSCs and neural cells and analyzed the influence of neural cells on hPMSC differentiation in a co-culture system.hPMSCs were isolated and purified from human full-term placenta using collagenase digestion.Fetal neural cells were co-cultured with hPMSCs for 48 hours using the Transwell co-culture system.hPMSCs co-cultured with neural cells exhibited a slender morphology with a filament.After 96 hours,hPMSCs expressed neuron-specific enolase,which suggested that co-culture of hPMSCs and neural cells induced neural differentiation of hPMSCs.