Evaluation of a low cost cryopreservation system on the biology of human amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stromal cells

Background: Human amniotic-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hAMSC) are a novel population of multipotent stem cells that have been shown to have great potential for use in regenerative medicine. However, procedures to store and preserve hAMSC for future clinical applications have not been explored extensively. Methods: In this study, we analyzed the influence of cryopreservation, using a protocol based on freezing rate of 1 degrees C/min, 10% dimethyl sulfoxide as cryoprotectant and a thawing rate >100 degrees C/min, on hAMSC morphology, proliferation rates, viability, cell cycle, karyotype, immune phenotype and multilineage differentiation potential. Results: This study found that this cryopreservation protocol does not affect the biological properties of hAMSC. Discussion: This shows that this protocol is a viable system for banking hAMSC, with the associated advantages that has a low cost in terms of expense, time and personnel involved and is easy to implement. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.