Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells from amniotic fluid originate neural precursors with functional voltage-gated sodium channels

AbstractBackground aimsAmniotic fluid (AF) contains stem cells with high proliferative and differentiative potential that might be an attractive source of multipotent stem cells. We investigated whether human AF contains mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and evaluated their phenotypic characteristics and differentiation potential in vitro.MethodsAF was harvested during routine pre-natal amniocentesis at 14–16 weeks of pregnancy. AF sample pellets were plated in α-minimum essential medium (MEM) with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). We evaluated cellular growth, immunophenotype, stemness markers and differentiative potential during in vitro expansion. Neural progenitor maintenance medium (NPMM), a medium normally used for the growth and maintenance of neural stem cells, containing hFGF, hEGF and NSF-1, was used for neural induction.ResultsTwenty-seven AF samples were collected and primary cells, obtained from samples containing more than 6 mL AF, had MSC characteristics. AF MSC showed high proliferative potential, ...