A variety of bioscaffolds have been developed as carriers for the delivery of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), however, many of them are unable to provide direct cell nourishment, a critical factor for survival and retention of MSCs at the site of delivery. Platelet lysate is a plasma-derived product rich in growth factors that can be turned into a gel matrix following the addition of calcium chloride. Our objective was to characterize growth factor and cytokine release of equine platelet lysate gel (ePL gel) encapsulated with MSCs over time and to measure the viability and proliferation of ePL gel-encapsulated MSCs for up to 14 days. The release of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB), as well as fibrinogen degradation, were measured from ePL gel with and without equine bone marrow-derived MSCs and compared with MSCs in monolayer. MSC proliferation and viability within the gel were assessed up to 14 days. Compared with monolayer MSC cultures, significantly higher concentrations of IL-1β, IL-10, and TGF-β were measured from supernatants collected from ePL gel containing MSCs at various time points. Significantly lower concentrations of PDGF-BB were measured in the supernatant when MSCs were incorporated in ePL gel while VEGF tended to be increased compared with MSCs in monolayer. Incorporation in ePL gel for up to 14 days did not appear to affect viability and proliferation rates of MSCs as these were found to be similar to those measured in monolayer cell culture. ePL gel may have the potential to serve as bioscaffold for MSC delivery since it appears to support the proliferation and viability of MSCs for up to 14 days.
Keywords: equine platelet lysate; equine platelet lysate gel; mesenchymal stem cells; stem cell delivery.