Ultrastructural assessment of the differentiation potential of human multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells

Mesenchymal stromal (stem) cells (MSCs) are defined by plastic adherent growth, multiple phenotype expressions, and tripotential mesodermal capability. The authors report examples where electron microscopy (EM) plays a role in stem cell research. MSCs isolated from human arteries are ultrastructurally heterogeneous and become more homogenous after plastic adhesion. EM shows a moderate complement of organelles, mainly mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum, and glycogen aggregates. Clear vacuoles and vesicles are prominent when cells are recovered from plates using an enzymatic method. Since the mesengenic plasticity is the single most important criterion to define a cell as mesenchymal stromal, the authors induced experimentally adipogenic, leiomyogenic, cardiomyogenic, osteo-chondrogenic differentiations. In no case did EM reveal the achievement of complete differentiation. The authors obtained multivacuolated pre-adipocytes and never univacuolated adipocytes typical of mature white fat; myofibroblast and rhabdomyoblast morphotypes, where contractile filaments were not organized to form functional complexes, i.e., dense bodies and sarcomeres. Chondrogenesis and osteogenesis assays resulted in extracellular matrix changes. Collagen and proteoglycan filament/particle deposition was seen when chondrogenesis was promoted. Hydroxyapatite crystals, psammoma bodies, and plaque-like calcified matrix deposits were found in the osteogenic matrix. EM provides detailed structural information on the degree of differentiation induced in stem cells and demonstrates that the methods so far developed are not able to promote complete cell differentiation. These observations contribute to explain why clinical applications with hMSCs have produced results far lower than initial expectations.