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Updated: Aug 7, 2026
Isolation and Cellular Phenotyping of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Synovial Fluid and Bone Marrow of Minipigs
Published on: July 2, 2016
Effect of interferon-alpha-2b on porcine mesenchymal stem cells
Haru Abukawa1, Leonard B Kaban, W Bradford Williams
1Skeletal Biology Research Center, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Purpose:
Patients undergoing enucleation and adjuvant interferon therapy for giant cell jaw tumors have been observed to exhibit exuberant bone formation in the resultant defects. We hypothesize that interferon promotes bone formation by enhancing mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation and by stimulating osteoblasts. This is a preliminary study to determine the effects of interferon on porcine mesenchymal stem cells (pMSCs) in culture.
Materials And Methods:
Isolated pMSCs were grown under the following conditions: 1) MSCs alone (negative control); 2) MSCs + osteogenic supplements (positive control); and 3) MSCs + interferon (experimental). Cell cultures were evaluated morphologically, by quantitative DNA analysis, and quantitative and qualitative alkaline phosphatase analysis.
Results:
Cells treated with interferon exhibited a slower but constant proliferation rate, did not clump, and produced more alkaline phosphatase as compared with the negative control.
Conclusion:
The data indicate that interferon may act to differentiate MSCs into osteoblasts and to stimulate metabolic activity while not increasing the proliferation rate.
