Lyophilized human platelet lysate as a supplementation in the culture of umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are being used in clinical trials given their proliferative potential, immunomodulatory effects, and their pro-angiogenic, anti-apoptotic, and anti-fibrotic properties. Umbilical cord tissue is an excellent source of MSCs. Iron-fortified calf serum is being used to culture MSCs as an alternative to fetal bovine serum since it is relatively inexpensive. Fetal calf serum is fortified with iron since calves are often fed a low-iron diet. However, the use of iron-fortified calf serum is still problematic since it is xenogeneic. Lately, human platelet lysate is being used for the culture of human cells. To increase its shelf life, human platelet lysate was lyophilized and used for culturing human umbilical cord tissue mesenchymal stem cells (hUCT-MSCs). This study compares the culture of hUCT-MSCs with either iron-fortified calf serum or lyophilized human platelet lysate (LHPL). Trilineage differentiation potential (for chondrogenesis, adipogenesis, or osteogenesis) was assessed and immunomodulatory properties of hUCT-MSC were studied using the Mixed Lymphocyte Reaction (MLR) to detect inhibition of the proliferation of lymphocytes. This study concludes the potency of LHPL as the best alternative to Iron-Fortified Calf Serum (IFCS) for culture expansion of hUCT-MSC. hUCT-MSC cultured with LHPL display characteristic surface markers and have the capacity for trilineage differentiation.