Comparison of Preterm and Term Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Properties in Different Oxygen Tensions

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown promise as therapeutic agents in treating morbidities associated with premature birth. MSCs derived from human umbilical cords are easy to isolate, have low immunogenicity, and a robust ability to secrete paracrine factors. To date, there are no studies evaluating preterm versus term umbilical cord tissue-derived MSCs. Therefore, our aim was twofold: 1) To compare stem cell properties in preterm versus term MSCs, and 2) Examine the impact of oxygen tension on stem cell behavior. Umbilical cord tissue was obtained from 5 preterm and 5 term neonates. The cells were isolated and characterized as MSCs in accordance to The International Society for Cellular Therapy. We exposed MSCs to differing oxygen tensions to examine the impact of environmental factors on cell performance. We studied the following stem cell properties: i) motility, ii) proliferation, iii) senescence, iv) cell viability, v) colony forming unit efficiency, and vi) inflammatory cytokine expression. Under normoxia (21% O2), the cells from preterm and term infants had similar properties. Under hypoxic conditions (1% O2), term MSCs had better cell proliferation; however, cells exposed to hyperoxia (90% O2) had the slowest motility and lowest cell viability (p<0.05). There was no difference in the expression of senescence or cytokine expression between the groups. The term cells demonstrated more colony forming efficiency compared to the preterm cells. In sum, our preliminary findings suggest that MSCs derived from term and preterm umbilical cords have similar characteristics, offering the potential of future autologous/allogeneic MSC transplants in neonates.