Large-scale expansion of Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells on gelatin microbeads, with retention of self-renewal and multipotency characteristics and the capacity for enhancing skin wound healing

Introduction Successful stem cell therapy relies on large-scale generation of stem cells and their maintenance in a proliferative multipotent state. This study aimed to establish a three-dimension culture system for large-scale generation of hWJ-MSC and investigated the self-renewal activity, genomic stability and multi-lineage differentiation potential of such hWJ-MSC in enhancing skin wound healing. Methods hWJ-MSC were seeded on gelatin microbeads and cultured in spinning bottles (3D). Cell proliferation, karyotype analysis, surface marker expression, multipotent differentiation (adipogenic, chondrogenic, and osteogenic potentials), and expression of core transcription factors (OCT4, SOX2, NANOG, and C-MYC), as well as their efficacy in accelerating skin wound healing, were investigated and compared with those of hWJ-MSC derived from plate cultres (2D), using in vivo and in vitro experiments. Results hWJ-MSC attached to and proliferated on gelatin microbeads in 3D cultures reaching a maximum of 1.1–1.30 × 10 7 cells on 0.5 g of microbeads by days 8–14; in contrast, hWJ-MSC derived from 2D cultures reached a maximum of 6.5 -11.5 × 10 5 cells per well in a 24-well plate by days 6–10. hWJ-MSC derived by 3D culture incorporated significantly more EdU ( P < 0.05) and had a significantly higher proliferation index ( P < 0.05) than those derived from 2D culture. Immunofluorescence staining, real-time PCR, flow cytometry analysis, and multipotency assays showed that hWJ-MSC derived from 3D culture retained MSC surface markers and multipotency potential similar to 2D culture-derived cells. 3D culture-derived hWJ-MSC also retained the expression of core transcription factors at levels comparable to their 2D culture counterparts. Direct injection of hWJ-MSC derived from 3D or 2D cultures into animals exhibited similar efficacy in enhancing skin wound healing. Conclusions Thus, hWJ-MSC can be expanded markedly in gelatin microbeads, while retaining MSC surface marker expression, multipotent differential potential, and expression of core transcription factors. These cells also efficiently enhanced skin wound healing in vivo, in a manner comparable to that of hWJ-MSC obtained from 2D culture.