Comparing two human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell isolation protocols

Abstract

Human umbilical cord is a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as reported in many studies. Many techniques are used to obtain these cells and their variations are related to the part of the tissue from which the stem cells can be extracted (umbilical vein, arteries, Wharton’s jelly or the whole umbilical cord - UC). In this sense, it is really important to compare and optimize isolation methods in order to obtain the greatest number of MSCs to enhance culture success and expansion for further use in cell based therapies. In this study we compared two different isolation protocols in order to improve the MSCs harvesting process in our laboratory. UCs (n=10) were sectioned in two parts during collection and each fraction from this pair was isolated, simultaneously, into the following groups according to each protocol: Group 1 - cells harvested from UC vein and Group 2 - cells harvested from UC vein and arteries with additional mechanical digestion. Cells were maintained in the same culture conditions and after reaching the 5th passage, groups were compared in several aspects: isolation parameters, growth characteristics, immunophenotypic analysis, differentiation potential and proliferation rate. Group 1 demonstrated better results for isolation success and lower cost. Both groups were able to harvest MSCs and the other analysis could not demonstrate significant differences between them. According to the conditions adopted in our laboratory protocol from group 1 it is more advantageous for lower cost and better isolation success rate.