Maintenance and characterization of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells isolated from canine umbilical cord matrix by collagenase digestion.

Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells have been considered as a novel clinical approach for cell therapy and regenerative medicine. In this study, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were successfully isolated from canine umbilical cord matrix (cUCM; also referred to as Wharton's Jelly) by collagenase digestion and further characterized for multipotent properties associated with MSCs. Our cUCM-derived MSCs (cUCM-MSCs) were plastic adherent, spindle-shaped and fibroblast-like cells, maintaining expression of pluripotency markers such as Oct3/4, Nanog, Sox-2 and SSEA-4 as well as normal chromosomal number during a long-term proliferative culture. The cells expressed MSCs-specific surface markers, including CD44, CD90, CD105, and CD184, but did not CD29, CD33, CD34, and CD45. More importantly, cUCM-MSCs could differentiate into mesodermal (adipocyte, osteocyte and chondrocyte) and ectodermal (neuronal cell) cell lineages. These results imply that collagenase digestion would be a highly effective way to isolate multipotent MSCs in abundant amounts.