The sensitivity of human mesenchymal stem cells to vibration and cold storage conditions representative of cold transportation

Abstract

In the current study, the mechanical and hypothermic damage induced by vibration and cold storage on human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) stored at 2-88C was quantified by measuring the total cell number and cell viability after exposure to vibration at 50 Hz (peak acceleration 140 m s 22 and peak displacement 1.4 mm), 25 Hz (peak acceleration 140 m s 22, peak displacement 5.7 mm), 10 Hz (peak acceleration 20 m s 22, peak displacement 5.1 mm) and cold storage for several durations. To quantify the viability of the cells, in addition to the trypan blue exclusion method, the combination of annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide was applied to understand the mode of cell death. Cell granularity and a panel of cell surface markers for stemness, including CD29, CD44, CD105 and CD166, were also evaluated for each condition. It was found that hMSCs were sensitive to vibration at 25 Hz, with moderate effects at 50 Hz and no effects at 10 Hz. Vibration at 25 Hz also increased CD29 and CD44 expression. The study further showed that cold storage alone caused a decrease in cell viability, especially after 48 h, and also increased CD29 and CD44 and attenuated CD105 expressions. Cell death would most likely be the consequence of membrane rupture, owing to necrosis induced by cold storage. The sensitivity of cells to different vibrations within the mechanical system is due to a combined effect of displacement and acceleration, and hMSCs with a longer cold storage duration were more susceptible to vibration damage, indicating a coupling between the effects of vibration and cold storage.

From production to patient: challenges and approaches for delivering cell therapies

“…Mechanical forces have been shown to affect MSC differentiation potential (Wang and Chen, 2013) and Nikolaev et al, (2012) showed that under hypothermic conditions, human MSCs were sensitive to vibrations that mimicked road transportation of cells suspended in vials. They reported that cells that had already been stored at 4…”

Low temperature cell pausing: an alternative short-term preservation method for use in cell therapies including stem cell applications

“…Bone marrow derived stem cells show sensitivity to vibrations (Zhou et al 2011) and a study by Nikolaev et al (2012) found a coupling effect between vibration and cold temperature storage. Mechanical stress during the transportation process requires further investigation to elucidate the effects on cell health and function and to help design appropriate packaging which is sustainable and cost effective whilst maintaining the therapeutic quality of cells (Nikolaev et al 2012). …”

Injectable <i>in situ</i> crosslinkable hyaluronan-polyvinyl phosphonic acid hydrogels for bone engineering

“…Stem cells are sensitive even with vibration and under cold storage conditions [37]. Therefore, in case of HA-PVPA injectable hydrogel sustain stem cells, it will probably proliferate and able to differentiate into other cell-lines [38].…”