Various types of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been used in urological tissue engineering but to date the existence of MSCs has not been reported in the human bladder. The present study provided evidence that a small number of MSC‑like cells exist in the human bladder and designated this class of cells 'human bladder‑derived MSC‑like cells' (hBSCs). It was demonstrated that hBSCs can be cultured to yield a large population. These hBSCs expressed the surface markers of MSCs and exhibited the capacity for osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic differentiation. On induction with appropriate media in vitro, hBSCs could differentiate into bladder‑associated cell types, including urothelial, endothelial and smooth muscle cell‑like lineages. In addition, the average telomerase activity of adult hBSCs was higher compared with adult human bone marrow‑derived MSCs, but lower than that of human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly‑derived MSCs. These findings may inspire future studies on the role of hBSCs in urological tissue engineering applications and in other fields.
Keywords: mesenchymal stromal cells; bladder; differentiation.