Assessment of Umbilical Cord Tissue as a Source of Mesenchymal Stem Cell/Endothelial Cell Mixtures for Bone Regeneration

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Abstract
Aim: To enumerate and characterize mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) in umbilical cord (UC) tissue digests. Materials & methods: Cultured UC cells were characterized phenotypically, and functionally by using 48-gene arrays. Native MSCs and ECs were enumerated using flow cytometry. Results: Compared with bone marrow (BM) MSCs, UC MSCs displayed significantly lower (range 4–240-fold) basal levels of bone-related transcripts, but their phenotypes were similar (CD73+, CD105+, CD90+, CD45- and CD31-). UC MSCs responded well to osteogenic induction, but day 21 postinduction levels remained below those achieved by BM MSCs. The total yield of native UC MSCs (CD90+, CD45- and CD235α-) and ECs (CD31+, CD45- and CD235α-) exceeded 150 and 15 million cells/donation, respectively. Both UC MSCs and ECs expressed CD146. Conclusion: While BM MSCs are more predisposed to osteogenesis, UC tissue harbors large numbers of MSCs and ECs; such minimally manipulated ‘off-the-shelf’ cellular mixtures can be...
Funding Information
  • Wellcome Trust/EPSRC
  • Centre of Excellence in Medical Engineering (WT 088908/Z/09/Z)
  • National Institute of Health Research
  • NIHR-Leeds Musculoskeletal
  • Biomedical Research Unit

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