Effect of gestational age on migration ability of the human umbilical cord vein mesenchymal stem cells.

PURPOSE: Migration ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) towards chemotactic mediators is a determinant factor in cell therapy. MSCs derived from different sources show different properties. Here we compared the migration ability of the term and the pre-term human umbilical cord vein MSCs (hUCV-MSCs). MATERIALS/METHODS: MSCs were isolated from term and pre-term umbilical cord vein, and cultured to passage 3-4. Migration rate of both groups was assessed in the presence of 10% FBS using chemotaxis assay. Surface expression of CXCR4 was measured by flow cytometery. The relative gene expression of CXCR4, IGF1-R, PDGFRα, MMP-2, MMP-9, MT1-MMP and TIMP-2 were evaluated using real time PCR. RESULTS: The isolation rate of the pre-term hUCV-MSCs was higher than the term hUCV-MSCs. Phenotype characteristics and differentiation ability of the term and pre-term hUCV-MSCs were not different. The migration rate of the pre-term hUCV-MSCs was more than the term hUCV-MSCs. Gene and surface expressions of the CXCR4 were both significantly higher in the pre-term hUCV-MSCs (P≤0.05). The mRNA levels of PDGFRα, MMP-2, MMP-9, MT1-MMP and TIMP-2 showed no significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that the gestational age can affect the migration ability of the hUCV-MSCs.

Immunomodulatory properties of umbilical cord vein mesenchymal stromal cells influenced by gestational age and in vitro expansion.

In vivo and in vitro aging of the mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) can affects their properties. We investigated the immunomodulatory properties of the term and preterm human umbilical cord vein MSCs (UCV-MSCs) at the passages (P) 2 and 5. Term and preterm UCV-MSCs at P2 and 5 were co-cultured with two-way mixed lymphocyte reaction. Proliferation, IFN-γ and IL-10 protein levels, mRNA levels of the COX-2, TGF-ß1, TNF-α, IL-4 and FoxP3 were assessed. The term UCV-MSCs and P5 of the term and preterm UCV-MSCs had stronger inhibitory effects on cell proliferation than the preterm UCV-MSC and P2, respectively (P = 0.001). In supernatants of the co-cultures, IFN-γ was higher in the term UCV-MSC than the preterm UCV-MSC, while IL-10 was higher in the preterm UCV-MSCs than the term UCV-MSCs. Also in the co-cultures, COX-2 expression in the term UCV-MSCs and P2 was higher than the preterm UCV-MSCs and P5, respectively and TGF-ß1 expression in the term UCV-MSCs was higher than preterm. Conclusively it appears that the term UCV-MSCs, and P5 of the term and preterm UCV-MSCs showed a higher immunomodulatory ability than the preterm UCV-MSCs and P2, respectively.