Mesenchymal stem cells feeder layer from human umbilical cord blood for ex vivo expanded growth and proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells

Ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells was suggested as the best way of overcoming problems caused by limited hematopoietic cell number for cord blood transplantation. In this study, we quantified and characterized an ex vivo expansion capacity of umbilical cord blood (UCB)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a cell feeder layer for support of UCB-derived committed hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) in the absence or presence of recombinant cytokines. The UCB-derived MSCs used in the study differentiated into osteoblast, chondrocytes, and adipocytes under proper conditions. Frequencies in colony forming unit-granulocyte, macrophage, colony forming unit-granulocyte, erythrocyte, macrophage, megakaryocyte, burst forming unit-erythrocyte, and colony forming unit-erythrocyte increased to 3.46-, 9.85-, 3.64-, and 2.03-folds, respectively, only in culture supplemented by UCB-derived MSCs as a cell feeder layer without recombinant cytokines (culture condition C). Identified expansion kinetics in all kinds of committed HPCs showed plateaus at 7 culture days, suggesting some consumable components were required for the expansion. Physiological importance and different roles for different committed HPCs of UCB-derived MSCs as a cell feeder layer were revealed by a distinguished expansion capacity for colony forming unit-megakaryocyte. The preferred maintenance of CD33(-)CD34(+) in culture condition C was also identified. The presence of cobblestone-like areas as hematopoietic microenvironment and various cell feeder layer-originated hematopoietic cytokines including interleukin-1 beta and granulocyte, macrophage-colony stimulating factor were suggested as underlying mechanisms for the identified expansion capacity. The present numeric and biological information about intrinsic expansion capacity for UCB-derived committed HPCs will increase further biological and clinical applications of UCB-derived MSCs.