Acoustic vibration promotes in vitro expansion of human embryonic stem cells.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of acoustic vibration on the pluripotency of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and evaluate cell proliferation and self-renewal ability post-treatment. The human ES cell line H1 was used for the experiments. hESCs were treated with an acoustic vibration device. Their proliferative ability was subsequently detected using a colony formation assay, while the expression of pluripotency-related markers was detected via immunofluorescence staining. Finally, changes in gene expression levels were examined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in the presence of appropriate primers. Compared with normal cells in the control group, the morphology of experimental cells subjected to acoustic vibration did not significantly change. Contrastingly, the colony-forming efficiency of the experimental cells significantly increased. Immunofluorescence staining results showed the cells in experimental group were positive for the pluripotency markers NANOG, octamer-binding transcription factor 4 gene (OCT4), and SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 2 (SOX2). In addition, the expression levels of pluripotency genes NANOG, OCT4, SOX2, and Yes-associated protein (YAP)-related genes were up-regulated following acoustic vibration. Our results revealed that acoustic vibration enhanced the proliferative ability of hESCs and increased the expression levels of NANOG, OCT4, SOX2, and YAP-related genes, indicating that acoustic vibration can optimize the self-renewal ability of hESCs and that the YAP signaling pathway may play a critical role in the functional process of acoustic vibration.