Objective: To compare the biological characteristics between the human amnion epithelial cells (hAECs) and human amnion mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs).
Methods: Human amnion tissues were peeled off from human full term placenta from the women with normal healthy singleton pregnancies undergoing elective cesarean section. Using low speed-trypsin collagenase digestion method, hAECs and hAMSCs were isolated from human amnion tissue. The proliferation and biological characteristics of both cells were analyzed and compared by immunofluorescence assay, flow cytometry, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), induced differentiation and so on.
Results: hAECs were round or oval, and formed a confluent monolayer of cobblestone-shaped epithelial cells. hAECs continue to proliferate less than 5 passages, while the hAMSCs were fibroblastic and spindle-shaped, which could continue to proliferate about 30 passages. hAECs expressed CK19 and a few of them expressed vimentin; hAMSCs expressed vimentin and did not express CK19. Both hAECs and hAMSCs were positive for suface markers CD29, CD73, CD44, CD90, OCT-4, Nanog and so on, but hAECs were negative for CD105. Both hAECs and hAMSCs were positive for oil red O and akane red staining.
Conclusions: hAECs and hAMSCs display stem cell properties. hAECs can not proliferate unlimitly, and the proliferation and differentiation ability of hAECs is lower than hAMSCs.