ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: As an emerging stem cell family, urine-derived stem cells have attracted more and more attentions in the tissue engineering construction. OBJECTIVE: To study the culture method of urine-derived stem cells, and to identify the biological characteristics of urine-derived stem cells. METHODS: Cleaning urine samples were harvested and centrifuged, and urine-derived stem cells were isolated from the urine samples and extensively expanded in vitro.Cell growth curve was measured by MTT method,and cell surface markers were detected by flow cytometry. Meanwhile, the cells were subjected to osteogenic and adipogenic induction. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Urine-derived stem cells were successfully isolated from the urine samples, which grew and proliferated rapidly. After subculture, the cells exhibited an S-shaped growth. The isolated urine-derived stem cells expressed CD29, CD44, CD73 and CD90, indicating that the cells maintained the activity of stem cells. Moreover, the isolated cells had the ability of osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. To conclude, urine-derived stem cells have strong proliferation and differentiation potentials, as a kind of economic, convenient, non-invasive source of cells, which can provide great convenience for urethral defect repair and organ reconstruction.