Low-density subculture: a technical note on the importance of avoiding cell-to-cell contact during mesenchymal stromal cell expansion.

Numerous scientific studies and clinical trials are carried out each year exploring the use of mesenchymal stromal cells in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. However, the effective and reliable expansion of this very important cell type remains a challenge. In this study the importance of cell-to-cell contact during expansion has been explored on the proliferation and differentiation potential of the produced cells. Cells were cultured up to passage 5 under conditions where cell-to-cell contact was either probable (40-70% confluence; see supporting information, Protocol A) or where it was unlikely (10-50% confluence; see supporting information, Protocol B). The effect of the two different conditions on expansion efficiency; proliferation rate and tri-lineage differentiation potential was assessed. Differences in immunophenotype, cell size and senescence were also investigated. Protocol B cultures expanded twice as fast as those cultured with Protocol A. In passage 5 experiments low confluence expanded cells displayed a 10% higher overall proliferation rate, and produced 23% more cells in growth, 12% more in osteogenic, 77% more in adipogenic, but 27% less in chondrogenic medium. Differentiation potential wasn't decisively affected at the mRNA level. However, Protocol B favoured bone and cartilage differentiation at the secretional level. Protocol A populations showed reduced purity, expressing CD105 in only 76% compared to the 96.7% in Protocol B cultures. Protocol A populations also contained significantly more (+4.2%) senescent cells, however, no difference was found in cell size between the two protocols. The findings of this study suggest that cell-to-cell contact, and therefore high confluence levels, is detrimental to MSC quality.