Osteogenic potential of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells cultured with umbilical cord blood-derived autoserum

Objective: Osteogenesis in the bone defect at the site of an alveolar cleft is important to enable patients with cleft lip and palate to acquire dental articulation. The presence of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells has been reported. In this study, we used autoserum derived from the umbilical cord blood (UCB) of neonates in an attempt to examine the osteoblastic differentiation potential of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (UC-MSCs) in nude mice. Materials and methods: UCB, hydroxyapatite, and rhBMP were used as the supply source of autoserum, scaffold, and osteoinductive growth factor, respectively. MSCs, obtained from Wharton's jelly and cultured for 3-4 weeks to induce their differentiation into osteoblasts, were implanted subcutaneously into the dorsum of male nude mice for 6 weeks before the assessment by real-time reverse transcriptase chain reaction of osteoblast marker expression. Results: UCB-derived autoserum was a viable source for the culture and implantation of UC-MSCs. The osteoblastic differentiation potential of UC-MSCs was demonstrated in nude mice by performing immunohistochemical staining and by the presence of osteoblast marker expression. Conclusions: Our results confirm the osteogenic potential of UC-MSCs and provide basic evidence for the realization of regenerative medicine using autologous tissues. (C) 2012 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery.