Abstract
Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) are multipotent stem cells that can be used in regenerative medicine. However, to reach the high therapeutic efficacy of WJ-MSCs, it is necessary to obtain a large amount of MSCs, which requires their extensive in vitro culturing. Numerous studies have shown that in vitro expansion of MSCs can lead to changes in cell behavior; cells lose their ability to proliferate, differentiate and migrate. One of the important measures of cells’ migration potential is their elasticity, determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and quantified by Young’s modulus. This work describes the elasticity of WJ-MSCs during in vitro cultivation. To identify the properties that enable transmigration, the deformability of WJ-MSCs that were able to migrate across the endothelial monolayer or Matrigel was analyzed by AFM. We showed that WJ-MSCs displayed differences in deformability during in vitro cultivation. This phenomenon seems to be strongly correlated with the organization of F-actin and reflects the changes characteristic for stem cell maturation. Furthermore, the results confirm the relationship between the deformability of WJ-MSCs and their migration potential and suggest the use of Young’s modulus as one of the measures of competency of MSCs with respect to their possible use in therapy.
Highlights
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent a unique population of heterogeneous fibroblast-like cells
We focused on the nanomechanical characterization of Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) during in vitro cultivation
We demonstrated that 30 min of exposure to IL-1β increased the migration of Wharton’s jelly (WJ)-MSCs towards IL-1β in vitro
Summary
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent a unique population of heterogeneous fibroblast-like cells. MSCs adhere to the medium, have a high proliferative potential, and the ability to differentiate into different cell types, to regenerate and to repair tissues by secreting various growth factors and cytokines, and to cause an immunomodulatory effect on the immune system [1,2]. Those properties placed MSCs in the line of great interest amongst scientists and clinicians for a tnumber of years. The source of mesenchymal stem cells tested and used in various studies frequently originates from tissues related to pregnancy and child delivery (e.g., umbilical cord blood, umbilical cord, placenta)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
