Effect of brain microvascular endothelial cells on differentiation of co-cultured mesenchymal stem cells under hypoxic conditions / 第三军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effect of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) expressing fetal liver kinase-1(Flk-1) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) under normal and hypoxic conditions. Methods Human bone marrow MSCs and rat BMECs were isolated, cultured and identified. We used direct and indirect co-culture to induce the differentiation of MSCs. The expression of Flk-1 and vWF after induction was observed and analyzed by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence staining. Results Undifferentiated MSCs did not express Flk-1 or vWF. In indirect co-culture group, indirect co-culture under hypoxic conditions induced (7.58?0.58)% (n=6, P=0.034) MSCs to express Flk-1 but not vWF, while in normoxic indirect co-culture, MSCs expressed neither. In direct co-culture group, after 5-day direct co-culture with BMECs under normoxia or hypoxia, MSCs expressing Flk-1 accounted for (13.76?1.67)% (n=6, P