[Serum-free culture of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells].

This study was purposed to observe the culture of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSC) with serum-free medium, and compared it with the medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). The normal umbilical cords were acquired during cesarean section, and then were cultured with MesenCult-XF serum-free medium or medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). The morphology, immunophenotype, cell cycle, proliferation and differentiation potential of mesenchymal stem cells and the inhibition of mixed lymphocyte reaction were observed through different medium culture method. The results showed that the MSC cultured with serum-free MesenCult(-)XF medium could transfer and multiply for average of 6.57 ± 0.7 times, and the serum medium-cultured MSC could transfer and multiply for average of 4.59 ± 0.45 times (P < 0.05). Two kinds of medium cultured MSC all expressed CD44, CD90, CD73, CD105 antigen, but did not expressed CD31, CD45, HLA-DR and CD34 antigen, and their expression levels were not significantly different. The serum-free medium-cultured MSC (65 ± 5.2%) were all at Go/G1 phase, and the serum-contained medium-cultured MSC (62+3.1%) were at Go/G1 phase(P > 0.05); the 2 kinds of media-cultured MSC all could differentiate into fat and ossification; when serum-free medium cultured umbilical cord MSC were inoculated at the the density of 10(3), 5×10(3), 10(4), and 2×10(4) cells/well, then co-cultured with the reactant and stimulating cells, the CPM were (6.43 ± 0.47)×10(4), (4.30 ± 0.38)×10(4), (1.97 ± 0.13)×10(4) and (0.24 ± 0.03)×10(4), respectively, and the serum-containing medium-cultured MSC were incubated with different density of mixed lymphocyte, displaying CPM that were (7.85 ± 0.07)×10(4), (5.64 ± 0.12)×10(4), (3.09 ± 0.18)×10(4) and (1.73 ± 0.05)×10(4). It is concluded that the serum-free medium has been confirmed to culture MSC, which have potential of transfer and differentiation with count for clinical application, and can avoid foreign protein sensitization.