Searching for Alternative Sources of Postnatal Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Candidate MSC‐Like Cells from Umbilical Cord

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the capability for renewal and differentiation into various lineages of mesenchymal tissues. These features of MSCs attract a lot of attention from investigators in the context of cellbased therapies of several human diseases. Despite the fact that bone marrow represents the main available source of MSCs, the use of bone marrow-derived cells is not always acceptable due to the high degree of viral infection and the significant drop in cell number and proliferative/differentiation capacity with age. Thus, the search for possible alternative MSC sources remains to be validated. Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and does not contain mesenchymal progenitors. However, MSCs circulate in the blood of preterm fetuses and may be successfully isolated and expanded. Where these cells home at the end of gestation is not clear. In this investigation, we have made an attempt to isolate MSCs from the subendothelial layer of umbilical cord vein using two standard methodological approaches: the routine isolation of human umbilical vein endothelial cell protocol and culture of isolated cells under conditions appropriate for bone-marrow-derived MSCs. Our results suggest that cord vasculature contains a high number of MSC-like elements forming colonies of fibroblastoid cells that may be successfully expanded in culture. These MSC-like cells contain no endothelium-or leukocytespecific antigens but express alpha-smooth muscle actin and several mesenchymal cell markers. Therefore, umbilical cord/placenta stroma could be regarded as an alternative source of MSCs for experimental and clinical needs.

Transplantation of umbilical cord–derived mesenchymal stem cells as a novel strategy to protect the central nervous system: technical aspects, preclinical studies, and clinical perspectives

“…Moreover, the use of BM-derived cells is not always acceptable due to the risk of viral contamination. Many groups have, therefore, focused on finding alternative sources of MSCs and have succeeded in isolating them from tissues as varied as adipose tissue, the synovium, the fetal liver, deciduous teeth, amniotic fluid, the UCB, and UC (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). Of these, the UCB and UC, in particular Wharton's jelly, are being considered more and more as an alternative source of MSCs.…”

Mitochondrial Function and Energy Metabolism in Umbilical Cord Blood- and Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

“…hMSCs are traditionally derived from adult tissues, such as adipose and bone marrow, but cells from these sources seem to lose their potential during aging; and, therefore, alternative sources are sought from postnatal tissues, such as umbilical cord blood [1,[5][6][7][8][9]. Umbilical cord blood-derived MSCs (UCBMSC) are now considered a potential substitute for bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMMSC) to overcome the aging problem, as they are derived from an in vivo microenvironment more similar to bone marrow with characteristic properties for hMSCs [5,[10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

Mesenchymal stem cells derived from human placenta suppress allogeneic umbilical cord blood lymphocyte proliferation

“…Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), which are first isolated from bone marrow (BM) [1,2] and subsequently isolated from other tissues such as adipose tissue, cutaneous tissue, fetal hepatic and pulmonary tissue [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11], are pluripotent progenitors for a variety of tissues including bone, cartilage, tendon, fat, and muscle [12]. It has been approved have the capability to support expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) through expressing cytokines and reconstructing hematopoietic microenvironment [13,14].…”