title: Comparison of biological properties of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells from early and late passages: immunomodulatory ability is enhanced in aged cells.
abstract: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a potential source of adult stem cells for cell-based therapeutics due to their substantial multilineage differentiation capacity and secretory functions. No information is presently available regarding the maintenance of immunosuppressive properties of this cell type with repeated passages. It was therefore the aim of the present study to analyze the biological properties, particularly the immunoregulatory effect, of MSCs from late passages. The differences between young and old MSCs in morphology, cell surface antigen phenotype, proliferation, gene expression and immunomodulatory ability were investigated. The results of the current study demonstrated that with the passage of cells, senescent MSCs displayed a characteristically enlarged and flattened morphology, different gene expression profiles and stronger immunosuppressive activities. Increased interleukin-6 production may be a possible underlying mechanism for this enhanced immunomodulatory ability of MSCs. These findings suggest that aged MSCs may provide a treatment option for patients with graft versus host disease and other diseases associated with dysregulation of the immune system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.affiliation: Cryomedicine Laboratory, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jinqiu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Cryomedicine Laboratory, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiuli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ju
mesh_terms: D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000502:physiology; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D056747:Immunomodulation; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D058977:Molecular Sequence Annotation; D014470:Umbilical Cord / Q000166:cytology*; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface; D016207:Cytokines; D001616:beta-Galactosidase