Immunophenotype characterization of rat mesenchymal stromal cells

BackgroundMesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have shown diverse therapeutic potential. While characterization of human and mouse MSC has seen significant advances, rat bone marrow-derived MSC (rBM-MSC) remain under-characterized. We detail the isolation, expansion, differentiation, and detailed immunocharacterization of rBM-MSC.MethodsRat MSC were isolated and expanded in multipotent adult progenitor cell (MAPC) media, and cell-surface marker expression through 10 passages was used to characterize the population and multipotency was confirmed via differentiation.ResultsBy passage 3, rBM-MSC were found to be CD11b−, CD45−, CD29+, CD49e+, CD73+, CD90+, CD105+ and Stro-1+, without the use of cell sorting. Media selection was responsible for the isolation of a nearly homogeneous population of rBM-MSC. The rBM-MSC immunophenotype changed by passage 10, showing decreases in CD73, CD105 and Stro-1 expression.DiscussionDetailed characterization of cell populations facilitates accurate and reproducible cell therapy investigation. Given the expanding body of research involving rBM-MSC, these results advance our ability to compare rBM-MSC populations.