Isolation, Characterization and Differentiation of Rat Fetal Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Osteogenic and Adipogenic Cells

The fetus is the source of many stem cells that have great potential in repairing and regenerating different tissues and can differentiate into various types of cells including osteoblast and adipocyte. However, less attention has been paid to the isolation and differentiation ability of these cells in the culture medium. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the isolation method, proliferation, and differentiation of fetal mesenchymal stem cells (fMSCs) derived from rat fetuses.

In this experimental study, fMSCs were isolated from 15-day-old rat fetuses using trypsin enzymatic digestion and they were cultured up to 3th passage. Then, the fMSCs were characterized by flow cytometry and differentiated into osteoblast and adipocyte cells. Cell proliferation and expression of osteogenesis- and adipogenesis-related genes were investigated in differentiated cells.

Cell surface markers of fMSCs at passage 3 were positive for CD105 and CD90 and negative for CD45 and CD34. These cells exhibited a fibroblast-like morphology. These cells had calcium deposition in osteogenic differentiation and accumulation of fat droplets in adipogenic differentiation. The osteogenesis-related genes including osteonectin, ALP, BMP-6, and Runx-2, and adipogenesis-related genes such as PPARγ and CREBBP were expressed in osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation cultures, respectively.

According to the findings of the present study, it seems that mesenchymal stem cells isolated from rat fetuses have the potential to proliferate and differentiate into osteoblast or adipogenic lineages.