Transforming growth factor-beta 1 or ascorbic acid are able to differentiate Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells towards a smooth muscle phenotype.

Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) are widely used in tissue engineering. In vascular engineering, the ability to obtain a vessel replacement with contractile smooth muscle cells (SMC) is a key factor. In this work, we demonstrated that WJ-MSCs differentiate towards a SMC phenotype with various stimulations in vitro and that the modification of redox state could be involved. WJ-MSCs were isolated from umbilical cords. After their expansion, the cells were stimulated with ascorbic acid (AA, 300 μM) or transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 (1 to 5 ng/mL). SMC markers were analyzed by Western blot. Modification of redox state was evaluated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and glutathione (GSH) content measurements. TGF-β1 or AA-stimulated WJ-MSCs express early and intermediate SMC markers. TGF-β1 (5 ng/mL) modifies the redox state by a ROS production and a GSH content drop, while AA has no effect. This work showed that TGF-β1 and AA are effective SMC phenotype inducers to differentiate WJ-MSCs.