Osteogenic Differentiation Potential of Human Bone Marrow and Amniotic Fluid-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Vitro & in Vivo

BACKGROUND: Cell therapies offer a promising potential in promoting bone regeneration. Stem cell therapy presents attractive care modality in treating degenerative conditions or tissue injuries. The rationale behind this is both the expansion potential of stem cells into a large cell population size and its differentiation abilities into a wide variety of tissue types, when given the proper stimuli. A progenitor stem cell is a promising source of cell therapy in regenerative medicine and bone tissue engineering. AIM: This study aimed to compare the osteogenic differentiation and regenerative potentials of human mesenchymal stem cells derived from human bone marrow (hBM-MSCs) or amniotic fluid (hAF-MSCs), both in vitro and in vivo studies. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Human MSCs, used in this study, were successfully isolated from two human sources; the bone marrow (BM) and amniotic fluid (AF) collected at the gestational ages of second or third trimesters. RESULTS: The stem cells derived from amniotic fluid seemed to be the most promising type of progenitor cells for clinical applications. In a pre-clinical experiment, attempting to explore the therapeutic application of MSCs in bone regeneration, Rat lumbar spines defects were surgically created and treated with undifferentiated and osteogenically differentiated MSCs, derived from BM and second trimester AF. Cells were loaded on gel-foam scaffolds, inserted and fixed in the area of the surgical defect. X-Ray radiography follows up, and histopathological analysis was done three-four months post- operation. The transplantation of AF-MSCs or BM-MSCs into induced bony defects showed promising results. The AF-MSCs are offering a better healing effect increasing the likelihood of achieving successful spinal fusion. Some bone changes were observed in rats transplanted with osteoblasts differentiated cells but not in rats transplanted with undifferentiated MSCs. Longer observational periods are required to evaluate a true bone formation. The findings of this study suggested that the different sources; hBM-MSCs or hAF-MSCs exhibited remarkably different signature regarding the cell morphology, proliferation capacity and osteogenic differentiation potential CONCLUSIONS: AF-MSCs have a better performance in vivo bone healing than that of BM-MSCs. Hence, AF derived MSCs is highly recommended as an alternative source to BM-MSCs in bone regeneration and spine fusion surgeries. Moreover, the usage of gel-foam as a scaffold proved as an efficient cell carrier that showed bio-compatibility with cells, bio-degradability and osteoinductivity in vivo.

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PTPRU, a quiescence-induced receptor tyrosine phosphatase negatively regulates osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells

10.1101/2021.04.29.442062 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mohammad Rumman ◽

Jyotsna Dhawan

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Bone Marrow ◽

Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽

Osteogenic Differentiation ◽

Tyrosine Phosphatase ◽

Quiescent State ◽

Differentiation Potential

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are heterogeneous osteo-progenitors that are mainly responsible for bone regeneration and homeostasis. In vivo, a subpopulation of bone marrow MSCs persists in a quiescent state, providing a source of new cells for repair. Previously, we reported that induction of quiescence in hMSCs in vitro skews their differentiation potential in favour of osteogenesis while suppressing adipogenesis. Here, we uncover a new role for a protein tyrosine phosphatase, receptor type U (PTPRU) in repressing osteogenesis during quiescence. A 75 kD PTPRU protein isoform was found to be specifically induced during quiescence and down-regulated during cell cycle reactivation. Using siRNA-mediated knockdown, we report that in proliferating hMSC, PTPRU preserves self-renewal, while in quiescent hMSC, PTPRU not only maintains reversibility of cell cycle arrest but also suppresses expression of osteogenic lineage genes. Knockdown of PTPRU in proliferating or quiescent hMSC de-represses osteogenic markers, and enhances induced osteogenic differentiation. We also show that PTPRU positively regulates a β-catenin-TCF transcriptional reporter. Taken together, our study suggests a role for a quiescence-induced 75kD PTPRU isoform in modulating bone differentiation in hMSC, potentially involving the Wnt pathway.

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Are MSCs Stem Cells? Demonstration of in Vitro and in Vivo Stem Cell Properties of Highly Enriched linneg/CD45neg/CD271pos/CD140alow/Neg Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from Adult Human Bone Marrow

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v124.21.4374.4374 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 124 (21) ◽

pp. 4374-4374

Author(s):

Roshanak Ghazanfari ◽

Hongzhe Li ◽

Dimitra Zacharaki ◽

Simón Méndez-Ferrer ◽

Stefan Scheding

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Bone Marrow ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Human Bone ◽

Human Bone Marrow ◽

Differentiation Potential ◽

Self Renewal ◽

Adult Human

Abstract Human bone marrow contains a rare population of non-hematopoietic mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSC) with multilineage differentiation capacity, which are essential constituents of the hematopoietic microenvironment. Self-renewal and differentiation are the two key properties of somatic stem cells, however, stem cell properties of human adult BM-MSC have not been demonstrated conclusively yet. We have previously shown that low/negative expression of PDGFRα on linneg/CD45neg/CD271pos cells identified a highly enriched population of primary BM-MSC in adult human bone marrow (Li et al. Blood, 2013, 122:3699). Based on this work, the current study aimed to investigate the in-vitro and in-vivo stem cell properties of this putative stromal stem cell population. The in-vitro clonogenic potential of freshly sorted human linneg/CD45neg/CD271pos/PDGFRlow/neg cells was evaluated by utilizing the CFU-F assay as well as the recently-developed mesensphere assay, which enables MSC amplification while preserving an immature phenotype (Isern et al, Cell Reports 2013, 30: 1714-24). Comparable colony frequencies were obtained with both assays (19.3 ± 2 and 17.5 ± 2.3 CFU-F and spheres per 100 plated cells, respectively, n=6, p=0.19). In order to test whether both assays identified the same population of clonogenic cells, colonies and spheres were replated under both conditions for up to three generations. The results showed comparable capacities of CFU-F and mesenspheres to form secondary and tertiary CFU-F and spheres. In-vitro self-renewal as indicated by increasing numbers of CFU-F and spheres (416.6 ± 431.7-fold and 49.5 ± 65.7-fold, respectively, n=3) was observed up to the third generation and decreased thereafter. The total number of generations was five (CFU-F) and six (spheres). In-vitro differentiation assays with both, CFU-F- and sphere-derived cells (tested until passage three) demonstrated tri-lineage differentiation potential (adipocytes, osteoblasts, chondrocytes). In addition, CFU-Fs and spheres had comparable surface marker profiles (CD73, CD90, CD105, and HLA-ABC positive; CD31, CD34 and HLA-DR negative), except for CD90, which was higher expressed on CFU-Fs. To investigate in-vivo self-renewal and differentiation potential of the putative stromal stem cells, linneg/CD45neg/CD271pos/PDGFRlow/neg -derived CFU-F and spheres were serially transplanted s.c into NSG mice. After 8 weeks, implants were harvested, human cells were FACS-isolated (CD90 and CD105 expression), and re-assayed under CFU-F and sphere conditions. Whereas in-vivo self-renewal of CFU-F could not be shown (111.5 ± 36 –fold decrease in total CFU-F numbers after primary transplantation, n=3), sphere self-renewal was clearly demonstrated by increased numbers of spheres after primary as well as secondary transplantation (1.13 ± 0.05 and 2.06 ± 0.26 –fold, respectively, n=3), which is remarkable given the fact that the number of recovered human cells is underestimated due to the isolation approach. Here, confirming GFP-marking experiments are ongoing. Finally, preliminary data indicate that linneg/CD45neg/CD271pos/PDGFRlow/neg –derived spheres display full in-vivo differentiation capacity in primary and secondary transplantations. Taken together, our data demonstrate - for the first time - that primary human linneg/CD45neg/CD271pos/PDGFRlow/neg cells meet stringent stem cell criteria, i.e. in-vitro and in-vivo self-renewal and differentiation. These findings answer the long-open question of the potential stem cell properties of adult human MSC and will enable to better understand the properties of native BM-MSC and their biological role in the bone marrow. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells-Incorporated Silk Fibroin as a Potential Bio-Scaffold in Guiding Bone Regeneration

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym12040853 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 853 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dewi Sartika ◽

Chih-Hsin Wang ◽

Ding-Han Wang ◽

Juin-Hong Cherng ◽

Shu-Jen Chang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽

Bone Regeneration ◽

Osteogenic Differentiation ◽

Silk Fibroin ◽

Bone Repair ◽

Matrix Deposition ◽

Calvarial Defects

Recently, stem cell-based bone tissue engineering (BTE) has been recognized as a preferable and clinically significant strategy for bone repair. In this study, a pure 3D silk fibroin (SF) scaffold was fabricated as a BTE material using a lyophilization method. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of the SF scaffold with and without seeded human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hASCs) in facilitating bone regeneration. The effectiveness of the SF-hASCs scaffold was evaluated based on physical characterization, biocompatibility, osteogenic differentiation in vitro, and bone regeneration in critical rat calvarial defects in vivo. The SF scaffold demonstrated superior biocompatibility and significantly promoted osteogenic differentiation of hASCs in vitro. At six and twelve weeks postimplantation, micro-CT showed no statistical difference in new bone formation amongst all groups. However, histological staining results revealed that the SF-hASCs scaffold exhibited a better bone extracellular matrix deposition in the defect regions compared to other groups. Immunohistochemical staining confirmed this result; expression of osteoblast-related genes (BMP-2, COL1a1, and OCN) with the SF-hASCs scaffold treatment was remarkably positive, indicating their ability to achieve effective bone remodeling. Thus, these findings demonstrate that SF can serve as a potential carrier for stem cells, to be used as an osteoconductive bioscaffold for BTE applications.

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Identification of WNT16 as a Predictable Biomarker for Accelerated Osteogenic Differentiation of Tonsil-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells In Vitro

Stem Cells International ◽

10.1155/2019/8503148 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yu-Hee Kim ◽

Kyung-Ah Cho ◽

Hyun-Ji Lee ◽

Minhwa Park ◽

Han Su Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽

Osteogenic Differentiation ◽

Selection Criterion ◽

Osteogenic Potential ◽

Differentiation Potential ◽

Real Time Quantitative Pcr ◽

Single Cell Cloning

The application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for treating bone-related diseases shows promising outcomes in preclinical studies. However, cells that are isolated and defined as MSCs comprise a heterogeneous population of progenitors. This heterogeneity can produce variations in the performance of MSCs, especially in applications that require differentiation potential in vivo, such as the treatment of osteoporosis. Here, we aimed to identify genetic markers in tonsil-derived MSCs (T-MSCs) that can predict osteogenic potential. Using a single-cell cloning method, we isolated and established several lines of nondifferentiating (ND) or osteoblast-prone (OP) clones. Next, we performed transcriptome sequencing of three ND and three OP clones that maintained the characteristics of MSCs and determined the top six genes that were upregulated in OP clones. Upregulation of WNT16 and DCLK1 expression was confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR, but only WNT16 expression was correlated with the osteogenic differentiation of T-MSCs from 10 different donors. Collectively, our findings suggest that WNT16 is a putative genetic marker that predicts the osteogenic potential of T-MSCs. Thus, examination of WNT16 expression as a selection criterion prior to the clinical application of MSCs may enhance the therapeutic efficacy of stem cell therapy for bone-related complications, including osteoporosis.

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Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Amniotic Fluid Mesenchymal Stem Cells Is Determined by Epigenetic Changes

Stem Cells International ◽

10.1155/2016/6465307 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Monika Glemžaitė ◽

Rūta Navakauskienė

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽

Amniotic Fluid ◽

Osteogenic Differentiation ◽

Epigenetic Changes ◽

Human Amniotic Fluid ◽

Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 ◽

Cell Staining

Osteogenic differentiation of human amniotic fluid derived mesenchymal stem cells (AF-MSCs) has been widely studiedin vitroandin vivoas a potential tool for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. While most of the studies analyze changes in transcriptional profile during differentiation to date there is not much information regarding epigenetic changes in AF-MSCs during differentiation. The aim of our study was to evaluate epigenetic changes during osteogenic differentiation of AF-MS cells. Isolated AF-MSCs were characterized morphologically and osteogenic differentiation was confirmed by cell staining and determining expression of alkaline phosphatase and osteopontin by RT-qPCR. Variation in gene expression levels of pluripotency markers and specific microRNAs were also evaluated. Analysis of epigenetic changes revealed that levels of chromatin modifying enzymes such as Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) proteins (EZH2 and SUZ12), DNMT1, HDAC1, and HDAC2 were reduced after osteogenic differentiation of AF-MSCs. We demonstrated that the level of specific histone markers keeping active state of chromatin (H3K4me3, H3K9Ac, and others) increased and markers of repressed state of chromatin (H3K27me3) decreased. Our results show that osteogenic differentiation of AF-MSCs is conducted by various epigenetic alterations resulting in global chromatin remodeling and provide insights for further epigenetic investigations in human AF-MSCs.

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Apoptosis Repressor with Caspase Domain (ARC) Promotes Bone Regeneration of Bone Marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells via Activating Fgf-2/PI3K/Akt Signaling

10.21203/rs.3.rs-81021/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Longwei Hu ◽

Yang Wang ◽

Hongya Pan ◽

Kathreena Kadir ◽

Jin Wen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Bone Marrow ◽

Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽

Bone Formation ◽

Bone Regeneration ◽

Osteogenic Differentiation ◽

Cell Apoptosis ◽

Pcr Analysis ◽

New Bone Formation

Abstract Objectives:This study aims to investigate whether ARC could promote survival and enhance osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs).Material and methods:Lentivirus transfection method was used to establish ARC overexpressed BMSCs. CCK-8 method was used to detect cell proliferation. The BD Pharmingen™ APC Annexin V Apoptosis Detection kit was used to detect cell apoptosis. The osteogenic capacity was investigated by OCN immunofluoresence staining, ALP, ARS assay and RT-PCR analysis. Cells were seeded into CPC scaffolds, then inserted into subcutaneous of nude mice and the defect area of rat’s calvarium. Histological analysis was conducted to evaluate in vivo cell apoptosis and new bone formation ability of ARC overexpressed BMSCs. RNA-seq method was used to detect the possible mechanism of the effect of ARC on BMSCs. Results:ARC can promote BMSCs proliferation and inhibit its cell apoptosis. ARC can enhance BMSCs osteogenic differentiation in vitro. In vivo study revealed ARC can inhibit BMSCs’ apoptosis and increase its new bone formation ability. ARC regulates BMSCs mainly by activating Fgf-2/PI3K/Akt pathway.Conclusions: The present study suggested that ARC is a powerful agent to promote bone regeneration of BMSCs and provides a promising method for bone tissue engineering.

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Dentin-derived Inorganic Minerals Promote the Osteogenesis of Bone Marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Potential Applications for Bone Regeneration

10.21203/rs.3.rs-34650/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Gang Lei ◽

Yanqiu Wang ◽

Yan Yu ◽

Zehan Li ◽

Jiamin Lu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Bone Marrow ◽

Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽

Bone Formation ◽

Bone Regeneration ◽

Osteogenic Differentiation ◽

Mapk Signaling ◽

Control Group ◽

Alizarin Red

Abstract Background Oral and maxillofacial bone loss is highly prevalent among populations and nowadays increased attention has been focused on dentin derivatives as desirable graft materials for bone regeneration. In this study, dentin-derived inorganic minerals (DIM) were fabricated with a high-temperature calcination technique and the effects of DIM on the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) and the bone formation were elucidated.Methods The effects of DIM on BMMSCs proliferation, apoptosis capacity were evaluated by CCK-8, flow cytometry and EdU assays. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity detection, ALP staining, alizarin red staining and osteogenic markers expression analysis were performed to investigate the influence of DIM on the osteogenic differentiation of BMMSCs, as well as the relevant signal mechanisms. The model of critical-sized defects in calvarium of rats was constructed for exploring the in vivo efficiency of DIM on bone regeneration.Results Cell viability assays indicated that DIM had no cytotoxicity. BMMSCs cultured with DIM presented a higher level of osteogenic differentiation ability than those in the control group. The activation in ERK and p38 signals was detected in DIM-treated BMMSCs, and both pathways and osteogenic process were suppressed while using ERK inhibitor U0126 and p38 inhibitor SB203580, respectively. Furthermore, the animal experiments revealed that DIM could dramatically enhance new bone formation compared to the control group.Conclusion All these results demonstrated that DIM could promote BMMSCs osteogenic differentiation via triggering ERK and p38 MAPK signaling pathways and be a novel predictable material for facilitating bone formation.

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The Hypoxic Preconditioning Effect On Senescence Cell Process In Cultured Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (AMSCs)

Indonesian Journal of Cardiology ◽

10.30701/ijc.v39i3.802 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Nadiar Dwi Nuarisa ◽

I Gde Rurus Suryawan ◽

Andrianto Andrianto

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Life Span ◽

Hypoxic Preconditioning ◽

Differentiation Potential ◽

Hypoxic Precondition ◽

Significant Difference

Introduction : Stem cell therapy for myocardial regeneration is expected to increase cardiomyocyte proliferation and trigger neovascularization to improve cardiomyocytes. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) are ideal candidates for regenerative medicine and immunotherapy. But low viability of MSCs is a major challenge in this alternative therapy. Therefore, a cytoprotective strategy is needed, one of them is hypoxic preconditioning which can significantly increase survival stem cells after being transplanted. MSCs are known to have a limited life span, after experiencing several splits MSC will enter the senescence process. It is known that hypoxia can also increase cell proliferation and differentiation potential in vitro and in vivo through the role of Octamer-4 (Oct-4) as a regulator of the pluripotency gene. Methods : Experimental laboratory studies (in vitro studies) using human-AMSCs which were given hypoxic preconditioning, observed as a immunocytochemistry. Results : The results showed that hypoxic precondition (1% O2) inhibited the senescence process. It can be seen in the lower expression of senescence in hypoxic conditions at P6, P7, P8, P9, P10 compared to normoxic ((p=0,004, p=0,001, p=0,009, p=0,013, p=0,024. There is a significant difference in the senescence expression of each passage in hypoxic and normoxic conditions with the highest expression at P10. In addition, we also observed AMSCs differentiation through the Oct-4 expression. It is showed that Oct-4 expression were higher in hypoxia compared to normoxia on P7, P8, P9, P10 (p=0,009, p=0,009, p=0,030, p=0,0001). Conclusions : Hypoxic preconditioning have the effect of inhibiting the senescence process on Adipose-derived MSCs (AMSCs) or prolonging their life span. The longer life span of AMSCs is also seen by higher cell differentiation potential from increased expression of Oct-4. However, the mechanism of inhibiting the senescence process in hypoxia in stem cells is still remain unknown. Keywords: human-Adipose derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Cultures (h-AMSCs), Hypoxic Preconditioning, Senescence cell, Oct-4.

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Apoptosis Repressor with Caspase Recruitment Domain (ARC) Promotes Bone Regeneration of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Activating Fgf-2/PI3K/Akt Signaling

10.21203/rs.3.rs-81021/v3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Longwei Hu ◽

Yang Wang ◽

Hongya Pan ◽

Kathreena Kadir ◽

Jin Wen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Bone Marrow ◽

Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽

Bone Formation ◽

Bone Regeneration ◽

Osteogenic Differentiation ◽

Cell Apoptosis ◽

New Bone Formation ◽

Caspase Recruitment Domain

Abstract Objectives: This study aims to investigate whether Apoptosis repressor with caspase recruitment domain (ARC) could promote survival and enhance osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow -derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Materials and methods: The lentivirus transfection method was used to establish ARC -overexpressing BMSCs. The CCK-8 method was used to detect cell proliferation. The BD Pharmingen™ APC Annexin V Apoptosis Detection kit was used to detect cell apoptosis. The osteogenic capacity was investigated by OCN immunofluorescence staining, ALP analysis, ARS assays and RT-PCR analysis. Cells were seeded into calcium phosphate cement (CPC) scaffolds and then inserted subcutaneously into nude mice and the defect area of the rat calvarium. Histological analysis was conducted to evaluate the in vivo cell apoptosis and new bone formation of the ARC -overexpressing BMSCs. RNA-seq was used to detect the possible mechanism of the effect of ARC on BMSCs. Results: ARC promoted BMSC proliferation and inhibited cell apoptosis. ARC enhanced BMSC osteogenic differentiation in vitro. An in vivo study revealed that ARC can inhibit BMSC apoptosis and increase new bone formation. ARC regulates BMSCs mainly by activating the Fgf-2/PI3K/Akt pathway. Conclusions: The present study suggests that A RC is a powerful agent for promoting bone regeneration of BMSCs and provides a promising method for bone tissue engineering.

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380 ISOLATION AND DIFFERENTIATION OF MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS DERIVED FROM CANINE AMNIOTIC FLUID

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/rdv22n1ab380 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 346 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

S. A. Choi ◽

J. H. Lee ◽

K. J. Kim ◽

E. Y. Kim ◽

X. X. Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Amniotic Fluid ◽

Specific Marker ◽

Large Animal ◽

Alizarin Red ◽

Differentiation Potential ◽

Suitable Alternative

The dog is biologically comparable with humans with respect to stem cell kinetics, haematopoietic demand, and responsiveness to cytokines. The availability of canine mesenchymal stem cells allows for the establishment of the dog as a large animal model for testing the safety and efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells replacement therapy. Large animal models, such as the dog, are invaluable for working out the practicalities of a therapeutic regimen in a complex system and for verifying established mechanistic theories. Therefore, canine stem cells present the potential for unique and exciting biological opportunities. Recent observations also indicate that stem cells derived from second-trimester amniocentesis are pluripotent, capable of differentiating into multiple lineages, including representatives of all 3 embryonic germ layers. Compared with embryonic stem cells, amniotic fluid stem cells can be obtained without destroying embryos, thus avoiding much ethical controversy. The aim of the current study was to investigate adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic in vitro differentiation potential of canine amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells by biological characterization. We successfully isolated and characterized canine amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells (cAFS). Expression of stem cell-specific marker OCT3/4, SOX2, and NANOG was confirmed by RT-PCR. Flow cytometric analysis showed that cAFS were positive for CD44, CD29, and CD90 but negative for CD34. Immunocytochemical analysis also showed the expression of alkaline phosphatase, SOX2, SSEA-1, and SSEA-4. Following incubation with specific adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic agents, cAFS stained positive by Oil Red O and Alizarin Red S, respectively. In conclusion, according to the preview studies on other mammalians, cAFS is an appropriate source of pluripotent stem cells. Here, we demonstrated that cAFS has a high adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation potential in vitro. Therefore, amniotic fluid might be a suitable alternative source of stem cells. This study was financially supported by KOSEF (grant #R01-2008-000-21076-0), research fund of Chungnam National University, and the Korean MEST, through the BK21 program for creative research in animal biotechnology.

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