Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are able to self-renew and have multi-lineage differentiation potential. However, studies on ovine umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) are limited. Our study aimed to isolate and characterize ovine UC-MSCs. We successfully isolated ovine UC-MSCs and defined their surface marker profile using immunofluorescence analysis. Ovine UC-MSCs were found to be positive for cell surface markers CD13, CD29, CD44, CD90, and CD106, and negative for cell surface marker CD45. Assessment of the proliferation potential of ovine UC-MSCs showed that from day 3 of cultivation a plateau phase was reached. And compare to passage 10, 15, 20 cells, passage 5 cells proliferating the fastest. Differentiation of ovine UC-MSCs into adipocytes, osteocytes, and chondrocytes was also demonstrated by staining for tissue-specific markers and using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction for specific marker gene expression. This study demonstrates the existence of a MSC population within the ovine umbilical cord, which maintained a normal karyotype up to passage 20.