ABSTRACT
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are non-hematopoietic multipotent cells. MSCs are ubiquitous with high frequency in adipose tissue, dental pulp, umbilical cord, placenta, and bone marrow. Their therapeutic potential, along with reduced ethical concern, and ease of isolation and expansion contribute to the interest of these categories of stem cells in translational research. This chapter adds to another section that describes the method to culture MSCs. Culturing of MSCs, regardless of the source, should have a basic method to ensure the integrity of the cultured cells. This chapter selects MSCs from the bone marrow to demonstrate quality control that could be used to characterize similar cells from all sources. Phenotypic quality control is assessed by flow cytometry for specific surface markers and multilineage differentiation, tri-lineage differentiation into adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteocytes. MSCs are generally thought to be mesodermal. Thus, investigators could examine transdifferentiation to neurons, depending on the expertise.
