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Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells (AFSCs) can be isolated from the amniotic fluid after amniocentesis that pregnant women undergo during the second trimester of pregnancy, this population has already been characterised and share common features between embryonic stem cells and adult mesenchymal stem cells. AFSCs are identified by specific markers; this study – as already published – focuses on the CD117 (c-Kit) positive fraction of AFSCs. Those cells are of great interest for regenerative medicine purposes considering their potential of differentiation and the relative constant availability, moreover retrieving prenatal autologous cells can offer new strategies for new-borns with congenital malformations or diseases. This study was intended to explore the possibility of isolating AFSCs at term of pregnancy (so at the third trimester, retrieving the amniotic fluid during delivery). Comparison on phenotype and test of potential for different lineages differentiation has been investigated on cells from both trimesters. These cells have a great potential also because they can be kept in culture and their number significantly increased for successive applications. Hypoxia is also a well-known factor that influence culture of stem cells, cultivating cells at lower oxygen tension has already demonstrated various beneficial effects on other stem cells so it has been decided to try this approach to ameliorate the expansion of AFSCs. In vivo experiments were performed to verify in vitro results on angiogenic potential of AFSCs. |
