Biologic Potential of Human Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Exposed to Maternal Smoking and Active Sars-Cov-2 Infection at Delivery

ABSTRACT

Purpose of Study COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to a worldwide pandemic with cytokine storm as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. It is known that pregnant women are at higher risk of viral infections given an alteration in immune response. Mothers who smoke cigarettes during pregnancy are even at higher risk. The infection varies from asymptomatic to severe disease in pregnant women depending upon the degree of inflammation and cytokine storm. At present, limited data are available to show the effects of simultaneous maternal smoking and SARS-CoV-2 infection on the biologic efficacy of human umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). We hypothesized that SARS-CoV-2 infection in combination with smoking of the pregnant mother at the time of delivery will lead to an alteration in the growth and differential potential of cord-derived MSCs. Our aims included collection, isolation and growth of human umbilical cord derived MSCs followed by assessment of their differentiation potential. Methods Used The study was approved by the Institutional IRB. The umbilical cords were collected from the following groups of pregnant mothers at the time of delivery Normal (non-smoking and negative SARS-CoV-2 infection), Smoker (smoking with negative SARS-CoV-2), Covid Smoker (smoking with positive SARS-CoV-2 infection) and Covid non-smoker (non-smoking with positive SARS-CoV-2 infection). Plastic adherent cells were harvested from 3 pooled human umbilical cords from each group. These cells were cultured and underwent immunodepletion per International Society for cellular therapy guidelines to isolate MSCs. MSCs were cultured in MSC-culture media to assess the duplication time. Similarly, MSCs were cultured in differentiation media (adipocytes and osteocytes) to assess differentiation time. Summary of Results: Picture shows the duplication and differentiation time from each group. Smoker group showed the longest duplication and differentiation time. Covid non-smoker group showed the shortest duplication and differentiation time. Covid Smoker group showed similar duplication and differentiation time as normal controls. All these results were statistically significant (T-test). Conclusion(s) Maternal smoking and active SARS-CoV-2 infection at the time of delivery alters the growth and differentiation potential of cord-derived MSCs. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are currently in progress to determine how this change effects the biological potential of these cells.