The effect of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and human platelet lysate (HPL) on the proliferation rate of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from adipose tissue and umbilical cord blood

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are cells that can replicate and differentiate into cells of multiple organs. However, there are challenges regarding their cultivation conditions. Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is the most commonly used culture medium additive for in vitro cultures, despite its undefined composition, potential immunogenicity, and possible prion/zoonotic transmission. For these reasons, significant efforts have been targeted at finding substitutes, such as serum-free media or human platelet lysates (HPL) and fresh frozen plasma (FFP). This study aimed to investigate the effects of the simultaneous use of FFP, HPL, and FBS on the proliferation of MSCs derived from umbilical cord blood and adipose tissues.

In this study, five platelet concentrate bags were obtained from the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization, the branch of Jahrom. Relatively, the Platelet lysate was prepared by repeated freezing/thawing method, and dead cells were separated from platelet lysate by centrifugation. MSCs were isolated from the adipose tissue of five patients undergoing hernia surgery or cesarean, and from the umbilical cord of 10 newborns. The cells were cultured in control (FBS) and experimental (FBS+FFP, FFP+HPL and FBS+FFP+HPL) groups. Cells of MSC phenotype were confirmed by flow cytometric analysis and viability was examined using the MTT assay.

The results showed that the proliferation and viability of mesenchymal stem cells were increased significantly in the FBS+FFP, FBS+HPL, FFP+HPL, and FBS+FFP+HPL groups compared to the FBS group.

In this study, it was shown that FBS+FFP, FBS+HPL, FFP+HPL, and FBS+FFP+HPL had a beneficial effect on the growth and proliferation of MSCs. It seems these biological effects are due to the presence of growth factors and cytokines produced by blood cells. This study confirms that FFP+HPL as a supplement in some culture media may be considered a suitable alternative instead of FBS for the MSC culture media.