Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells which identified by adherence to plastic, expression of cell surface markers including CD44, CD90, CD105, CD106, CD166, and Stro-1, lack of the expression of hematopoietic markers, no immunogenic effect and replacement of damaged tissues. These properties led to development of progressive methods to isolation and characterization of MSCs from various sources for therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine. METHODS: We isolated MSC-like cells from testis biopsies, ovary, hair follicle and umbilical cord Wharton's jelly and investigated the expression of specific cell surface antigens using flow cytometry in order to verify stemness properties of these cells. RESULTS: All four cell types adhered to plastic culture flask a few days after primary culture. All our cells positively expressed common MSC- specific cell surface markers. Moreover, our results revealed the expression of CD19and CD45 antigens in these cells. CONCLUSION: According to our results, high expression of CD44 in spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs),granulosa cells (GCs)and Wharton's jelly- MSCs (WJ-MSCs)may help them to maintain stemness properties. Furthermore, we suggest that CD105+SSCs, HFSCs and WJ-MSCs revealed the osteogenic potential of these cells. Moreover, high expression of CD90 in SSCs and HFSCs may associate to higher growth and differentiation potential of these cells. Further, the presence of CD19 on SSCs and GCs may help them to efficiency in response to trans-membrane signals. Thus, these four types of MSCs may be useful in clinical applications and cell therapy.