Human adult bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising tool in the newly emerging avenue of regenerative medicine. MSCs have already been translated from basic research to clinical transplantation research. However, there is still a lack of consensus on the ideal method of culturing MSCs. Here we have compared different culture conditions of human MSCs with an attempt to preserve their characteristics and multi-lineage differentiation potential. We compare the different basal culture media DMEM-F12, DMEM-high glucose (DMEM-HG), DMEM-low glucose (DMEM-LG), knock-out DMEM (DMEM-KO) and Mesencult on the proliferation rate, surface markers and differentiation potentials of MSCs. At every fifth passage until the 25th passage, the differentiation potential and the presence of a panel of surface markers was observed, using flow cytometry. We also compared the characteristics of human MSCs when cultured in reduced concentrations of fetal bovine serum (FBS), knockout serum replacement (KO-SR) and human plasma. Data indicate that the presence of serum is essential to sustain and propagate MSCs cultures. The choice of basal medium is equally important so as to preserve their characteristics and multipotent properties even after prolonged culture in vitro. With MSCs emerging as a popular tool for regenerative therapies in incurable diseases, it is essential to be able to obtain a large number of MSCs that continue to preserve their characteristics following passaging. The data reveal the optimum basal medium for prolonged culture of MSCs while retaining their ability to differentiate and hence this may be used for up-scaling to provide sufficient numbers for transplantation.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the ability to proliferate and differentiate into various lineages, given the appropriate microenvironment, thus making MSCs promising candidates for cell transplantation. For clinical applications, MSCs need to be stored in optimal conditions so that they may be transported and made available as an off-the-shelf product for companies to market. Freshly harvested and cultured or frozen-thawed bone marrow-derived MSCs were prepared for cell transplantation. Both freshly cultured or frozen-thawed MSCs were washed and resuspended in parenteral solutions, either 0.9% saline, Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (DPBS), plasmalyte A or 5%dextrose and held for 2, 4, 6 and 8 h at 4 degrees C, 37 degrees C and RT (22 degrees C). The viability of the cells, differentiation capability and expression of cell surface markers were analysed. MSCs harvested from fresh cultures, resuspended in the parenteral solutions and maintained at 4 degrees C for 6 h showed more than 90% viability, and the viability was appreciably better when suspended in 5% dextrose at 4 degrees C for 8 h. In contrast, frozen-thawed cells can be held for a maximum of 2 h after thawing before losing their viability significantly below permissible limits for transplantation. We are reporting for the first time the effect of various parenteral solutions, holding times and temperatures on the viability and functionality of bone marrow-derived freshly cultured or frozen-thawed MSCs for transplantation. Our results suggested that freshly harvested MSCs can be held for 8 h at 4 degrees C in 5% dextrose or for up to 6 h at 4 degrees C in saline, DPBS or plasmalyte A. Freeze-thawed MSCs can be held for a maximum of 2 h in plasmalyte A before transplantation without affecting their viability and ability to differentiate.
The progress of PD and its related disorders cannot be prevented with the medications available. In this study, we recruited 8 PD and 4 PD plus patients between 5 to 15 years after diagnosis. All patients received BM-MSCs bilaterally into the SVZ and were followed up for 12 months. PD patients after therapy reported a mean improvement of 17.92% during “on” and 31.21% during “off” period on the UPDRS scoring system. None of the patients increased their medication during the follow-up period. Subjectively, the patients reported clarity in speech, reduction in tremors, rigidity, and freezing attacks. The results correlated with the duration of the disease. Those patients transplanted in the early stages of the disease (less than 5 years) showed more improvement and no further disease progression than the later stages (11–15 years). However, the PD plus patients did not show any change in their clinical status after stem cell transplantation. This study demonstrates the safety of adult allogenic human BM-MSCs transplanted into the SVZ of the brain and its efficacy in early-stage PD patients.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.