Research Advancements in Porcine Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Abstract

In the present era of stem cell biology, various animals such as Mouse, Bovine, Rabbit and Porcine have been tested for the efficiency of their mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) before their actual use for stem cell based application in humans. Among them pigs have many similarities to humans in the form of organ size, physiology and their functioning, therefore they have been considered as a valuable model system for in vitro studies and preclinical assessments. Easy assessability, few ethical issues, successful MSC isolation from different origins like bone marrow, skin, umbilical cord blood, Wharton’s jelly, endometrium, amniotic fluid and peripheral blood make porcine a good model for stem cell therapy. Porcine derived MSCs (pMSCs) have shown greater in vitro differentiation and transdifferention potential towards mesenchymal lineages and specialized lineages such as cardiomyocytes, neurons, hepatocytes and pancreatic beta cells. Immunomodulatory and low immunogenic profiles as shown by autologous and heterologous MSCs proves them safe and appropriate models for xenotransplantation purposes. Furthermore, tissue engineered stem cell constructs can be of immense importance in relation to various osteochondral defects which are difficult to treat otherwise. Using pMSCs successful treatment of various disorders like Parkinson’s disease, cardiac ischemia, hepatic failure, has been reported by many studies. Here, in this review we highlight current research findings in the area of porcine mesenchymal stem cells dealing with their isolation methods, differentiation ability, transplantation applications and their therapeutic potential towards various diseases.

Iberian pig mesenchymal stem/stromal cells from dermal skin, abdominal and subcutaneous adipose tissues, and peripheral blood: in vitro characterization and migratory properties in inflammation

“…Expression of MSC markers has been reported to differ in porcine MSCs from different tissue origin [ 34 ]. For further characterization of all four types of MSCs, some characteristic cell surface and intracellular markers were assessed by flow cytometry (Fig.…”

Properties of porcine adipose-derived stem cells and their applications in preclinical models

“…20 pASCs have been shown to demonstrate similar characteristics to other porcine-derived adult stem cells such as those derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, adipose tissue, synovial membrane, and skin. 7,28,29 These include comparable morphology, proliferative capacity, alkaline phosphatase activity, cell surface marker expression, metabolic pathways, biologic functions, and transcription factors. 10,23,30 pASCs have often been compared side-by-side with porcine stem cells from these other tissue sources, revealing characteristics and comparable multilineage differentiation abilities as well.…”

“…Adult stem cells have proven to be effective for the treatment of several diseases and the repair and regeneration of damaged tissues in vitro. 1,3,29 Preclinical animal studies represent a critical step in the translation of a cell transplantation or tissue engineering technology from the laboratory to the clinic. They are required to evaluate the safety, feasibility and potential efficacy of novel therapies.…”

Enhanced insulin production and reprogramming efficiency of mesenchymal stem cells derived from porcine pancreas using suitable induction medium

“…Porcine mesenchymal stem cells (pMSCs) can also be easily isolated and cultured from fat and bone marrow . In addition, the characteristics of pMSCs isolated from different origins have been well studied . pMSCs have been reported to possess a broad differentiation ability, and in suitable induction media, they can differentiate not only into similar lineage cell types, including adipocytes, osteocytes, and chondrocytes, but also into different lineage cell types, such as endothelial cells, hepatocytes, and neural cells .…”

“…7,8 In addition, the characteristics of pMSCs isolated from different origins have been well studied. [9][10][11][12] pMSCs have been reported to possess a broad differentiation ability, and in suitable induction media, they can differentiate not only into similar lineage cell types, including adipocytes, osteocytes, and chondrocytes, 8 but also into different lineage cell types, such as endothelial cells, 13,14 hepatocytes, 14 and neural cells. 15,16 Interestingly, although MSCs have been characterized by differentiation into various cell types, the cells differ in their proliferative capacity, 17 pluripotency marker profile, 17 morphology, 9 immunophenotype, 9 and differentiation potential depending on their tissue of origin.…”