A comparison study in the expansion of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been intensively studied for their properties in several clinical conditions. They can be obtained from several sources including bone marrow, Wharton’s jelly in the umbilical cord, and adipose tissue. MSCs exhibit fibroblast-like morphology and possess significant ability to differentiate into multiple collective tissue cells in vitro. Conventionally, fetal bovine serum (FBS) is the most common supplement for the expansion of MSCs in vitro. However, the use of FBS is not desirable due to its intrinsic drawbacks including source, xenogeneic antigens, and xenogeneic microbes or viruses that can majorly impact the clinical value of MSCs. Therefore, a reliable human-compatible source with minimal manipulations and ethical concerns could be an attractive alternative to circumvent these problems. In this study, we have explored the suitability of using human umbilical cord blood-derived serum (CS) to grow MSCs in vitro. We have elucidated its effects in terms of morphology, population density, and doubling time at every passage as well as the pluripotency markers at late passages in comparison to FBS. Our findings demonstrate the merit of using CS to support cell growth and expansion in vitro.