Comparative Study of the Biological Characteristics of Serum-Free and Fetal Bovine Serum-Contained Medium Cultured Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

To compare the difference of biological characteristics between human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSC) cultured by serum free medium and fetal bovine serum-contained complete medium and to create a xenogeneic protein-free UC-MSC culture system.

Healthy human umbilical cord segments were digested with collagenase. Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells were cultured by serum free MesenCult-XF medium and FBS-based αMEM complete medium. We analysed the morphology, immunophenotype, expansion potential, trilineage differentiation potential, karyotype and immunosuppression of early passage of UC-MSC.

The average cell diameters of UC-MSC in suspension cultured by serum free medium and FBS-based medium are 26 (18–39) μm and 35 (20–61) μm, respectively. Cell expansion folds with serum free medium and FBS-based medium were (5.2±0.2) and (3.5±0.1) in the first five passage, respectively. The expansion potential of MSCs was significantly higher with serum free medium compared to FBS-based medium (P<0.05). A panel of markers as CD29, CD44, CD90, CD73, CD105 and HLA-ABC were expressed by human UC-MSC. Hematopoietic lineage markers CD34, CD45 and HLA-DR were not detectable on UC-MSC. The cpm were (4.57±0.14)×10⁴, (2.04±0.16)×10⁴ and(0.42±0.04)×10⁴ when serum free medium cultured MSCs were added to the cultures at ratios MSCs/T cell of 1:100, 1:10 and 1:5. While the cpm were (4.57±0.14)×10⁴, (2.04±0.16)×10⁴ and(0.42±0.04)×10⁴when serum free medium cultured UC-MSCs were added to the cultures. The immunosuppressive potential of serum free medium-cultured UC-MSC was higher than that of serum-contained medium cultured UC-MSC at three different ratios MSC/T cell (P<0.05). Conclusion Compare with serum-contained medium cultured early passage of UC-MSC, the cell diameter of serum free medium cultured MSCs was smaller and the expansion potential was higher. No xenogeneic proteins were presented in UC-MSC preparation when UC-MSC was cultured with serum free medium. Human UC-MSC suppresses T-cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. The immunosuppressive potential of UC-MSC was higher when cultured in serum free medium compared with FBS-based medium.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.