Comparative characterization of porcine mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow extract and skin tissues

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) offer a great promise for regenerative medicine. Present study compared the characterization of porcine MSCs (pMSCs) derived from bone marrow extract with adult ear and fetal skin-derived cells on morphology, cell growth, alkaline phosphatase activity, proliferation ability, expression of cluster of differentiation (CD) markers (CD29, 45, and 90), cell cycle, protein and mRNA levels of Oct-4, Sox-2, and Nanog, and lineage differentiation ability. Skin-derived cells exhibited alkaline phosphatase activity and differentiation ability like pMSCs. pMSCs possessed a longer doubling time than skin-derived cells, and there was no difference in the ratio of G0/G1 phase between pMSCs and skin-derived cells. Except for CD29 and 90, all cells were found negative for CD45. Protein and mRNA expression of Oct-4, Sox-2 and Nanog were observed with similar intensity in all cells. Taken together, pMSCs and skin-derived cells revealed similar characteristics, and suggested the possible supportive role of skin-derived cells with MSCs for the regeneration of damaged tissues in cell-based therapies.