| Autor: |
Leite C; Biocant - Technology Transfer Association, Biocant Park, Cantanhede, Portugal., Silva NT; Biocant - Technology Transfer Association, Biocant Park, Cantanhede, Portugal., Mendes S; Blood and Transplantation Center of Coimbra, Portuguese Institute of the Blood and Transplantation, Coimbra, Portugal., Ribeiro A; Blood and Transplantation Center of Coimbra, Portuguese Institute of the Blood and Transplantation, Coimbra, Portugal., de Faria JP; Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Porto, Portugal., Lourenço T; Biocant - Technology Transfer Association, Biocant Park, Cantanhede, Portugal., dos Santos F; Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering and Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal., Andrade PZ; Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering and Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal., Cardoso CM; Crioestaminal Saúde e Tecnologia, S.A., Biocant Park, Cantanhede, Portugal., Vieira M; Crioestaminal Saúde e Tecnologia, S.A., Biocant Park, Cantanhede, Portugal., Paiva A; Blood and Transplantation Center of Coimbra, Portuguese Institute of the Blood and Transplantation, Coimbra, Portugal., da Silva CL; Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering and Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal., Cabral JM; Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering and Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal., Relvas JB; Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Porto, Portugal., Grãos M; Biocant - Technology Transfer Association, Biocant Park, Cantanhede, Portugal. |
| Abstrakt: |
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are viewed as safe, readily available and promising adult stem cells, which are currently used in several clinical trials. Additionally, their soluble-factor secretion and multi-lineage differentiation capacities place MSCs in the forefront of stem cell types with expected near-future clinical applications. In the present work MSCs were isolated from the umbilical cord matrix (Wharton's jelly) of human umbilical cord samples. The cells were thoroughly characterized and confirmed as bona-fide MSCs, presenting in vitro low generation time, high proliferative and colony-forming unit-fibroblast (CFU-F) capacity, typical MSC immunophenotype and osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic differentiation capacity. The cells were additionally subjected to an oligodendroglial-oriented step-wise differentiation protocol in order to test their neural- and oligodendroglial-like differentiation capacity. The results confirmed the neural-like plasticity of MSCs, and suggested that the cells presented an oligodendroglial-like phenotype throughout the differentiation protocol, in several aspects sharing characteristics common to those of bona-fide oligodendrocyte precursor cells and differentiated oligodendrocytes. |
