Adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells and regenerative medicine

Adipose tissue‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) are multipotent and can differentiate into various cell types, including osteocytes, adipocytes, neural cells, vascular endothelial cells, cardiomyocytes, pancreatic β‐cells, and hepatocytes. Compared with the extraction of other stem cells such as bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), that of ADSCs requires minimally invasive techniques. In the field of regenerative medicine, the use of autologous cells is preferable to embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells. Therefore, ADSCs are a useful resource for drug screening and regenerative medicine. Here we present the methods and mechanisms underlying the induction of multilineage cells from ADSCs.     

Growth and functional harvesting of human mesenchymal stromal cells cultured on a microcarrier‐based system

Human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) cells are attractive for applications in tissue engineering and cell therapy. Because of the low availability of hMSCs in tissues and the high doses of hMSCs necessary for infusion, scalable and cost‐effective technologies for in vitro cell expansion are needed to produce MSCs while maintaining their functional, immunophenotypic and cytogenetic characteristics. Microcarrier‐based culture systems are a good alternative to traditional systems for hMSC expansion. The aim of the present study was to develop a scalable bioprocess for the expansion of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (hBM‐MSCs) on microcarriers to optimize growth and functional harvesting. In general, the results obtained demonstrated the feasibility of expanding hBM‐MSCs using microcarrier technology. The maximum cell concentration (n = 5) was ～4.82 ± 1.18 × 10⁵ cell mL^?1 at day 7, representing a 3.9‐fold increase relative to the amount of inoculated cells. At the end of culture, 87.2% of the cells could be harvested (viability = 95%). Cell metabolism analysis revealed that there was no depletion of important nutrients such as glucose and glutamine during culture, and neither lactate nor ammonia byproducts were formed at inhibitory concentrations. The cells that were recovered after the expansion retained their immunophenotypic and functional characteristics. These results represent an important step toward the implementation of a GMP‐compliant large‐scale production system for hMSCs for cellular therapy. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 30:889–895, 2014     

Scalable culture and cryopreservation of human embryonic stem cells on microcarriers

As a result of their pluripotency and potential for unlimited self‐renewal, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) hold tremendous promise in regenerative medicine. An essential prerequisite for the widespread application of hESCs is the establishment of effective and efficient protocols for large‐scale cell culture, storage, and distribution. At laboratory scales hESCs are cultured adherent to tissue culture plates; these culture techniques are labor‐intensive and do not scale to high cell numbers. In an effort to facilitate larger scale hESC cultivation, we investigated the feasibility of culturing hESCs adherent to microcarriers. We modified the surface of Cytodex 3 microcarriers with either Matrigel or mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). hESC colonies were effectively expanded in a pluripotent, undifferentiated state on both Matrigel‐coated microcarriers and microcarriers seeded with a MEF monolayer. While the hESC expansion rate on MEF‐microcarriers was less than that on MEF‐plates, the doubling time of hESCs on Matrigel‐microcarriers was indistinguishable from that of hESCs expanded on Matrigel‐coated tissue culture plates. Standard hESC cryopreservation methodologies are plagued by poor viability and high differentiation rates upon thawing. Here, we demonstrate that cryopreservation of hESCs adherent to microcarriers in cryovials provides a higher recovery of undifferentiated cells than cryopreservation of cells in suspension. Together, these results suggest that microcarrier‐based stabilization and culture may facilitate hESC expansion and storage for research and therapeutic applications. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2009     

Comparative studies of different cryopreservation methods for mesenchymal stem cells derived from human fetal liver

Fetal stem cells possess some intriguing characteristics, which delineate them as promising cellular therapeutics. They are less immunogenic, at lower stage of differentiation and have higher potential for repopulation and migration. Furthermore, the fetal stem cells secrete a set of cytokines and growth factors, which stimulate the regeneration of the recipient tissue. The present study indicated that the adhesive fraction of human fetal liver cells possessed the morphological characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells, as well as potential to differentiate into adipocyte and osteoblast lineages. The immunophenotypic analysis showed that the cells expressed CD13, CD73, CD90 and CD105 (typical for mesenchymal stem cells) and lacked the haematopoietic lineage markers CD34 and CD45. Addressing the issue of the low‐temperature storage of the human fetal liver cells, four different methods for cryopreservation were assessed: conventional slow freezing, program freezing and two vitrification protocols. The obtained results demonstrated that the cells were cryotolerant and maintained their properties and differentiation potential after thawing. Program freezing showed to be the most efficient method for cryopreservation of the investigated cells.     

Expansion of human embryonic stem cells in defined serum-free medium devoid of animal-derived products

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can serve as an unlimited cell source for cellular transplantation and tissue engineering due to their prolonged proliferation capacity and their unique ability to differentiate into derivatives of all three-germ layers. In order to reliably and safely produce hESCs, use of reagents that are defined, qualified, and preferably derived from a non-animal source is desirable. Traditionally, mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) have been used as feeder cells to culture undifferentiated hESCs. We recently reported a scalable feeder-free culture system using medium conditioned by MEFs. The base and conditioned medium (CM) still contain unknown bovine and murine-derived components, respectively. In this study, we report the development of a hESC culture system that utilizes a commercially available serum-free medium (SFM) containing human sourced and recombinant proteins supplemented with recombinant growth factor(s) and does not require conditioning with feeder cells. In this system, which employs human laminin coated surface and high concentration of hbFGF, the hESCs maintained undifferentiated hESC morphology and had a twofold increase in expansion compared to hESCs grown in MEF-CM. The hESCs also expressed surface markers SSEA-4 and Tra-1-60 and maintained expression of hTERT, Oct4, and Cripto genes similar to cells cultured in MEF-CM. In addition, hESCs maintained in this culture system were able to differentiate in vitro and in vivo into cells of all three-germ layers. The cells maintained a normal karyotype after prolonged culture in SFM. In summary, this study demonstrates that the hESCs cultured in defined non-conditioned serum-free medium (NC-SFM) supplemented with growth factor(s) retain the characteristics and replicative potential of hESCs. The use of defined culture system with NC-SFM on human laminin simplifies scale-up and allows for reproducible generation of hESCs under defined and controlled conditions that would serve as a starting material for production of hESC derived cells for therapeutic use.     

Bioreactor expansion of human neural precursor cells in serum‐free media retains neurogenic potential

Human neural precursor cells (hNPCs), harvested from somatic tissue and grown in vitro, may serve as a source of cells for cell replacement strategies aimed at treating neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and intractable spinal cord pain. A crucial element in a robust clinical production method for hNPCs is a serum‐free growth medium that can support the rapid expansion of cells while retaining their multipotency. Here, we report the development of a cell growth medium (PPRF‐h2) for the expansion of hNPCs, achieving an overall cell‐fold expansion of 10¹³ over a period of 140 days in stationary culture which is significantly greater than other literature results. More importantly, hNPC expansion could be scaled‐up from stationary culture to suspension bioreactors using this medium. Serial subculturing of the cells in suspension bioreactors resulted in an overall cell‐fold expansion of 7.8 × 10¹³ after 140 days. These expanded cells maintained their multipotency including the capacity to generate large numbers of neurons (about 60%). In view of our previous studies regarding successful transplantation of the bioreactor‐expanded hNPCs in animal models of neurological disorders, these results have demonstrated that PPRF‐h2 (containing dehydroepiandrosterone, basic fibroblast growth factor and human leukemia inhibitory factor) can successfully facilitate the production of large quantities of hNPCs with potential to be used in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010. 105: 823–833. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Serum‐free spheroid suspension culture maintains mesenchymal stem cell proliferation and differentiation potential

There have been many clinical trials recently using ex vivo‐expanded human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to treat several disease states such as graft‐versus‐host disease, acute myocardial infarction, Crohn's disease, and multiple sclerosis. The use of MSCs for therapy is expected to become more prevalent as clinical progress is demonstrated. However, the conventional 2‐dimensional (2D) culture of MSCs is laborious and limited in scale potential. The large dosage requirement for many of the MSC‐based indications further exacerbates this manufacturing challenge. In contrast, expanding MSCs as spheroids does not require a cell attachment surface and is amenable to large‐scale suspension cell culture techniques, such as stirred‐tank bioreactors. In the present study, we developed and optimized serum‐free media for culturing MSC spheroids. We used Design of Experiment (DoE)‐based strategies to systematically evaluate media mixtures and a panel of different components for effects on cell proliferation. The optimization yielded two prototype serum‐free media that enabled MSCs to form aggregates and proliferate in both static and dynamic cultures. MSCs from spheroid cultures exhibited the expected immunophenotype (CD73, CD90, and CD105) and demonstrated similar or enhanced differentiation potential toward all three lineages (osteogenic, chondrogenic, adipogenic) as compared with serum‐containing adherent MSC cultures. Our results suggest that serum‐free media for MSC spheroids may pave the way for scale‐up production of MSCs in clinically relevant manufacturing platforms such as stirred tank bioreactors. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 30:974–983, 2014     

Expansion strategies for human mesenchymal stromal cells culture under xeno‐free conditions

Choosing the culture system and culture medium used to produce cells are key steps toward a safe, scalable, and cost‐effective expansion bioprocess for cell therapy purposes. The use of AB human serum (AB HS) as an alternative xeno‐free supplement for mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) cultivation has increasingly gained relevance due to safety and efficiency aspects. Here we have evaluated different scalable culture systems to produce a meaningful number of umbilical cord matrix‐derived MSC (UCM MSC) using AB HS for culture medium supplementation during expansion and cryopreservation to enable a xeno‐free bioprocess. UCM MSC were cultured in a scalable planar (compact 10‐layer flasks and roller bottles) and 3‐D microcarrier‐based culture systems (spinner flasks and stirred tank bioreactor). Ten layer flasks and roller bottles enabled the production of 2.6 ± 0.6 × 10⁴ and 1.4 ± 0.3 × 10⁴ cells/cm². UCM MSC‐based microcarrier expansion in the stirred conditions has enabled the production of higher cell densities (5.5–23.0 × 10⁴ cells/cm²) when compared to planar systems. Nevertheless, due to the moderate harvesting efficiency attained, (80% for spinner flasks and 46.6% for bioreactor) the total cell number recovered was lower than expected. Cells maintained the functional properties after expansion in all the culture systems evaluated. The cryopreservation of cells (using AB HS) was also successfully carried out. Establishing scalable xeno‐free expansion processes represents an important step toward a GMP compliant large‐scale production platform for MSC‐based clinical applications. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:1358–1367, 2017     

Effects of low frequency electromagnetic fields on the chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells

Electromagnetic fields (EMF) have been shown to exert beneficial effects on cartilage tissue. Nowadays, differentiated human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are discussed as an alternative approach for cartilage repair. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the impact of EMF on hMSCs during chondrogenic differentiation. HMSCs at cell passages five and six were differentiated in pellet cultures in vitro under the addition of human fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF‐2) and human transforming growth factor‐β₃ (TGF‐β₃). Cultures were exposed to homogeneous sinusoidal extremely low‐frequency magnetic fields (5 mT) produced by a solenoid or were kept in a control system. After 3 weeks of culture, chondrogenesis was assessed by toluidine blue and safranin‐O staining, immunohistochemistry, quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for cartilage‐specific proteins, and a DMMB dye‐binding assay for glycosaminoglycans. Under EMF, hMSCs showed a significant increase in collagen type II expression at passage 6. Aggrecan and SOX9 expression did not change significantly after EMF exposure. Collagen type X expression decreased under electromagnetic stimulation. Pellet cultures at passage 5 that had been treated with EMF provided a higher glycosaminoglycan (GAG)/DNA content than cultures that had not been exposed to EMF. Chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs may be improved by EMF regarding collagen type II expression and GAG content of cultures. EMF might be a way to stimulate and maintain chondrogenesis of hMSCs and, therefore, provide a new step in regenerative medicine regarding tissue engineering of cartilage. Bioelectromagnetics 32:283–290, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Therapeutic potential of the immunomodulatory activities of adult mesenchymal stem cells

Adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) include a select population of resident cells within adult tissues, which retain the ability to differentiate along several tissue‐specific lineages under defined media conditions and have finite expansion potential in vitro. These adult progenitor populations have been identified in various tissues, but it remains unclear exactly what role both transplanted and native MSCs play in processes of disease and regeneration. Interestingly, increasing evidence reveals a unique antiinflammatory immunomodulatory phenotype shared among this population, lending support to the idea that MSCs play a central role in early tissue remodeling responses where a controlled inflammatory response is required. However, additional evidence suggests that MSCs may not retain infinite immune privilege and that the context with which these cells are introduced in vivo may influence their immune phenotype. Therefore, understanding this dynamic microenvironment in which MSCs participate in complex feedback loops acting upon and being influenced by a plethora of secreted cytokines, extracellular matrix molecules, and fragments will be critical to elucidating the role of MSCs in the intertwined processes of immunomodulation and tissue repair. Birth Defects Research (Part C) 90:67–74, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

N‐isopropylacrylamide‐based thermoresponsive polyelectrolyte multilayer films for human mesenchymal stem cell expansion

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are colony‐forming unit fibroblasts (CFU‐F) derived from adult bone marrow and have significant potential for many cell‐based tissue‐engineering applications. Their therapeutic potential, however, is restricted by their diminishing plasticity as they are expanded in culture. In this study, we used N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM)‐based thermoresponsive polyelectrolyte multilayer (N‐PEMU) films as culture substrates to support hMSC expansion and evaluated their effects on cell properties. The N‐PEMU films were made via layer‐by‐layer adsorption of thermoresponsive monomers copolymerized with charged monomers, positively charged allylamine hydrochloride (PAH), or negatively charged styrene sulfonic acid (PSS) and compared to fetal bovine serum (FBS) coated surfaces. Surface charges were shown to alter the extracellular matrix (ECM) structure and subsequently regulate hMSC responses including adhesion, proliferation, integrin expression, detachment, and colony forming ability. The positively charged thermal responsive surfaces improved cell adhesion and growth in a range comparable to control surfaces while maintaining significantly higher CFU‐F forming ability. Immunostaining and Western blot results indicate that the improved cell adhesion and growth on the positively charged surfaces resulted from the elevated adhesion of ECM proteins such as fibronectin on the positively charge surfaces. These results demonstrate that the layer‐by‐layer approach is an efficient way to form PNIPAM‐based thermal responsive surfaces for hMSC growth and removal without enzymatic treatment. The results also show that surface charge regulates ECM adhesion, which in turn influences not only cell adhesion but also CFU‐forming ability and their multi‐lineage differentiation potential. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010     

Kinetic characterization of vero cell metabolism in a serum‐free batch culture process

A global kinetic study of the central metabolism of Vero cells cultivated in a serum‐free medium is proposed in the present work. Central metabolism including glycolysis, glutaminolysis, and tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) was demonstrated to be saturated by high flow rates of consumption of the two major substrates, glucose, and glutamine. Saturation was reavealed by an accumulation of metabolic intermediates and amino acids, by a high production of lactate needed to balance the redox pathway, and by a low participation of the carbon flow to the TCA cycle supply. Different culture conditions were set up to reduce the central metabolism saturation and to better balance the metabolic flow rates between lactate production and energetic pathways. From these culture conditions, substitutions of glutamine by other carbon sources, which have lower transport rates such as asparagine, or pyruvate in order to shunt the glycolysis pathway, were successful to better balance the central metabolism. As a result, an increase of the cell growth with a concomitant decrease of cell death and a better distribution of the carbon flow between TCA cycle and lactate production occurred. We also demonstrated that glutamine was a major carbon source to supply the TCA cycle in Vero cells and that a reduction of lactate production did not necessary improve the efficiency of the Vero cell metabolism. Thus, to adapt the formulation of the medium to the Vero cell needs, it is important to provide carbon substrates inducing a regulated supply of carbon in the TCA cycle either through the glycolysis or through other pathways such as glutaminolysis. Finally, this study allowed to better understand the Vero cell behavior in serum‐free medium which is a valuable help for the implementation of this cell line in serum‐free industrial production processes. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;107: 143–153. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Stable generation of serum‐ and feeder‐free embryonic stem cell‐derived mice with full germline‐competency by using a GSK3 specific inhibitor

C57BL/6 (B6)‐derived embryonic stem (ES) cells are not widely used to generate knockout mice despite the advantage of a well‐defined genetic background because of poor developmental potential. We newly established serum‐ and feeder‐free B6 ES cells with full developmental potential by using leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and 6‐bromoindirubin‐3′‐oxime (BIO), a glycogen synthase kinase‐3 (GSK3) inhibitor. BIO treatment significantly increased the expression levels of 364 genes including pluripotency markers such as Nanog and Klf family. Unexpectedly, by aggregating or microinjecting those ES cells to each eight‐cell‐stage diploid embryo, we stably generated germline‐competent ES‐derived mice. Furthermore, founder mice completely derived from female XO, heterozygous, or homozygous mutant B6 ES cells were directly available for intercross breeding and phenotypic analysis. We hereby propose that serum‐ and feeder‐free B6 ES cells stimulated with LIF plus GSK3 inhibitor are valuable for generating mouse models on B6 background. genesis 47:414–422, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Systematic microcarrier screening and agitated culture conditions improves human mesenchymal stem cell yield in bioreactors

Production of human mesenchymal stem cells for allogeneic cell therapies requires scalable, cost‐effective manufacturing processes. Microcarriers enable the culture of anchorage‐dependent cells in stirred‐tank bioreactors. However, no robust, transferable methodology for microcarrier selection exists, with studies providing little or no reason explaining why a microcarrier was employed. We systematically evaluated 13 microcarriers for human bone marrow‐derived MSC (hBM‐MSCs) expansion from three donors to establish a reproducible and transferable methodology for microcarrier selection. Monolayer studies demonstrated input cell line variability with respect to growth kinetics and metabolite flux. HBM‐MSC1 underwent more cumulative population doublings over three passages in comparison to hBM‐MSC2 and hBM‐MSC3. In 100 mL spinner flasks, agitated conditions were significantly better than static conditions, irrespective of donor, and relative microcarrier performance was identical where the same microcarriers outperformed others with respect to growth kinetics and metabolite flux. Relative growth kinetics between donor cells on the microcarriers were the same as the monolayer study. Plastic microcarriers were selected as the optimal microcarrier for hBM‐MSC expansion. HBM‐MSCs were successfully harvested and characterised, demonstrating hBM‐MSC immunophenotype and differentiation capacity. This approach provides a systematic method for microcarrier selection, and the findings identify potentially significant bioprocessing implications for microcarrier‐based allogeneic cell therapy manufacture.     

Impact of the type of microcarrier and agitation modes on the expansion performances of mesenchymal stem cells derived from umbilical cord

The present study proposed to compare the impact of agitation mode (static, orbital, and mechanical) on the culture of mesenchymal stem cells extracted from the Wharton's jelly of umbilical cords (WJ-MSC), in a clinical grade culture medium, using human platelet lysate and different xeno-free microcarriers. Attachment, expansion, and detachment performances were characterized by a new dedicated tool of microscopic image posttreatment, allowing an in situ cell counting without detachment step. Results showed that performances in static mode were not necessarily representative of those obtained in dynamic mode. Moreover, impacts on nutrient consumptions and metabolite productions were identified, such as a higher glutamine consumption when Cytodex-1 microcarriers were used. The detachment strategy used was relatively efficient for Star-Plus, Plastic-Plus, and Hillex II, but not sufficient for Cytodex-1. Despite Cytodex-1 presented promising attachment and expansion performances, Star-Plus and Plastic-Plus showed a better compromise, respectively, for the orbital and the mechanical agitation modes.     

Clonal mesenchymal stem cells derived from human bone marrow can differentiate into hepatocyte‐like cells in injured livers of SCID mice

There is increasing evidence that human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) can be a valuable, transplantable source of hepatocytes. Most of the hMSCs preparations used in these studies were likely heterogeneous cell populations, isolated by adherence to plastic surfaces or by density gradient centrifugation. Therefore, the participation of other unknown trace cell populations cannot be rigorously discounted. Here we report the isolation and establishment of a cloned human MSC line (chMSC) from human bone marrow primary culture, through which we confirmed the hepatic differentiation capability of authentic hMSCs. chMSCs expressed markers of mesenchymal cells, but not markers of hematopoietic stem cells. In vitro, chMSCs can differentiate into either mesenchymal cells or cells exhibiting hepatocyte‐like phenotypes. When transplanted intrasplentically into carbon tetrachloride‐injured livers of SCID mice, EGFP‐tagged chMSCs engrafted into the host liver parenchyma, exhibited typical hepatocyte morphology, form a three‐dimensional architecture, and differentiate into hepatocyte‐like cells expressing human albumin and α‐1‐anti‐trypsin. By confocal microscopy, ultrafine intercellular nanotubular structures were visible between adjacent transplanted and host hepatocytes. We postulate that these structures may assist in the phenotype conversion of chMSCs, possibly by exchange of cytoplasmic components between native hepatocytes and transplanted cells. Thus, a clonal pure population of hMSCs, which can be expanded in culture, may have potential as a cellular source for substitution damaged cells in hepatic injury. J. Cell. Biochem. 108: 693–704, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.