In-vitro Augmentation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Using Adult Bovine Serum

Somia Shehzadi; Maryam Javed; Asmat Ullah; Ahmad Bilal Waqar; Fatima Iftikhar Shah; Sajjad Ullah

doi:10.2174/011574888X260118230927050143

In-vitro Augmentation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Using Adult Bovine Serum

Curr Stem Cell Res Ther. 2023 Oct 10. doi: 10.2174/011574888X260118230927050143. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Somia Shehzadi¹, Maryam Javed², Asmat Ullah³, Ahmad Bilal Waqar¹, Fatima Iftikhar Shah¹, Sajjad Ullah⁴

Affiliations

¹ University of Lahore University Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology Lahore Pakistan.
² University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology Lahore Pakistan.
³ Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Clinical Research Institute Hangzhou China.
⁴ University of Lahore University Institute of Medical Laboratory Lahore Pakistan.

PMID: 37861050
DOI: 10.2174/011574888X260118230927050143

Abstract

Background: Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) are increasingly being utilized for immune-related disease therapies due to their low immunogenicity. However, the primary culture of UC-MSCs requires the supplementation of serum in the growth medium, which has posed a challenge due to ethical issues related to the collection method of the fetal bovine serum (FBS) that is routinely used in cell culture.

Aim: In order to address this, the purpose of this research was to assess the effectiveness of adult bovine serum (ABS) as a different and more affordable source of serum for the in-vitro cultivation of UC-MSCs. UC-MSCs were isolated from the umbilical cord of Wharton's jelly of cow immediately after birth, by digestion with Collagenase type I.

Method: ABS was collected from fresh bovine sources and heat-inactivated. The morphology of UC-MSCs was observed under an inverted microscope, and growth patterns, proliferative index, and doubling time were calculated every two days to compare the efficacy of ABS with FBS. Immunocytochemistry for specific markers was also conducted on the MSCs.

Result: The results showed a notable difference in morphology, growth rate, population doubling, and proliferative index between ABS and FBS.

Conclusion: Intriguingly, ABS proved to be an effective supplement in the growth medium for expanding UC-MSCs in vitro, providing a viable alternative to FBS.

Keywords: Adult bovine serum; Stem cells; ]; fetal bovine serum; mesenchymal Stem Cells; umbilical cord.; viability.