RABBIT ADIPOSE-DERIVED STEM CELLS MAINTAIN THEIR CHROMOSOMAL COUNTS DURING PASSAGING

Monitoring of stem cells genetic stability is one of the most important safety points, because the number of chromosomes can change throughout the culture and in vitro manipulation of these cells. In our study the stem cells metaphases were analysed using the G-staining method. At least 60 metaphases in three samples of rabbit adipose-derived stem cells were assessed in three subsequent passages. Results of our study showed that at least 70 % of cells in each passage can maintain their stable karyotype. The highest proportion of aneuploidy (30 %) was recorded in the third passage. Even though we observed a slight increase of aneuploidy during passaging, statistical analysis did not show any significant differences. Based on our results, we can conclude that cell passaging does not affect genetic stability, since there were no changes in chromosomal counts throughout the culture. However, it was observed that there may be some instabilities during passaging that are more random. For this reason, it is recommended to monitor the stem cells' karyotype, especially if they are intended for therapeutic use.