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Immunogenicity of Fetal Liver-Derived Progenitor and Stem Cells: Expression of MHC Molecules
Denys Vatlitsov1, Khrystyna Sorochynska2, Alla Tkachenko3
1State Institution "National Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Hematology and Oncology of National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine"; Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the Department of Clinical Immunology of the Institute of Clinical Radiology; Research and Development Laboratory, Limited Liability Company "Cell Therapy Center "EmCell", Kyiv, Ukraine.
Background:
Regenerative medicine increasingly relies on stem cell-based therapies, yet their clinical success is largely determined by immunological compatibility. Fetal liver-derived progenitor and stem cells represent a promising, yet insufficiently characterized, source for transplantation.
Objective:
This study aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity of fetal liver cells by analyzing the expression of HLA class I and II molecules and detecting the presence of anti-HLA antibodies after cryopreservation at early gestational ages.
Methods:
Cell suspensions were obtained from fetal livers at 5-12 weeks of gestation. Flow cytometry was performed using a CyFlow Space cytometer (Sysmex, Germany), and results were analyzed with Statistica 10. HLA class I (HLA-ABC) and class II (HLA-DR/DP/DQ) expression was quantified as the percentage of positive cells and their mean fluorescence intensity. Anti-HLA antibodies were assessed in the cell suspensions. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, group comparisons, and correlation analyses with gestational age.
Results:
HLA class I expression was consistently detectable across all samples. In contrast, HLA class II expression increased progressively with gestational age, reflecting the developmental maturation of the fetal immune system. Importantly, these antigens primarily indicated differentiation toward myeloid lineages, which are unlikely to provoke graft-versus-host immune reactions. Anti-HLA antibodies were not detected in any of the analyzed suspensions.
Conclusions:
This study provides the first systematic assessment of HLA expression in fetal liver-derived progenitor and stem cells following cryopreservation. The results suggest that these cells retain a favorable immunological profile, supporting their potential application in regenerative medicine. The findings highlight the importance of considering gestational age in evaluating immunogenicity. Further studies with larger sample sizes and in vivo validation are required to confirm clinical safety.
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