title: Rat full term amniotic fluid harbors highly potent stem cells.
abstract: Amniotic fluid stem cells (AFSCs) are commonly isolated from mid-term amniotic fluid (AF) of animals and human collected via an invasive technique, amniocentesis. Alternatively, AFSCs could be collected at full-term. However, it is unclear whether AFSCs are present in the AF at full term. Here, we aimed to isolate and characterize stem cells isolated from AF of full term pregnant rats. Three stem cell lines have been established following immuno-selection against the stem cell marker, c-kit. Two of the new lines expressed multiple markers of pluripotency until more than passage 90. Further, they spontaneously differentiated into derivatives of the three primary germ layers through the formation of good quality embryoid bodies (EBs), and can be directly differentiated into neural lineage. Their strong stemness and potent neurogenic properties highlight the presence of highly potent stem cells in AF of full-term pregnancies, which could serve as a potential source of stem cells for regenerative medicine.
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Hoo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mun-Fun
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Nurfarhana
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ferdaos
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Siti Nurusaadah
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Hamzah
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Noridzzaida
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ridzuan
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Nurul Afiqah
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Hisham
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Syahril
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abdullah
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Rajesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramasamy
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Pike See
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Cheah
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Karrupiah
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thilakavathy
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Mohd Nazri
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Yazid
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Electronic address: shariza@upm.edu.my.
authors.forename: Norshariza
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nordin
mesh_terms: D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000166:cytology*; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D005260:Female; D011247:Pregnancy; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit
keywords: Amniotic fluid stem cells (AFSCs); Broad multipotent stem cells; Embryoid bodies; Full term amniotic fluid; Neurogenic potential; Pluripotency test; Potentially pluripotent