Abstract

Different sources of stem cells are considered as a potential source of precursor cells that could improve skeletal muscle regeneration. Under physiological conditions muscle regeneration is based on the satellite cells, i.e. adult muscle precursor cells that are localized between muscle fiber and surrounding basal lamina. These cells remain quiescent but after skeletal muscle injury activate, proliferate, differentiate, and fuse either to form new muscle fibers or reconstruct the damaged ones. As it was shown in many studies few populations of stem cells other than satellite cells are able to support skeletal muscle regeneration. Among them are mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that are present in many niches within adult organism and also in fetal tissues, such as human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) or umbilical cord connective tissue, i.e. Wharton’s jelly. Thus, MSCs are intensively tested to prove that they are able to differentiate into various cell types, including skeletal myoblasts, and therefore could be useful in regenerative medicine. In our previous study we showed that MSCs isolated from Wharton’s jelly expressed pluripotency as well as myogenic markers and were able to undergo myogenic differentiation both in vitro and in vivo. We also analyzed the potential of HUCB cells population which contains not only MSCs but also hematopoietic precursors. Our analyses of whole population of HUCB cells showed that these cells express myogenic regulatory factors, i.e. MyoD, and are able to contribute to skeletal muscle regeneration. In the present study we document that adherent fraction of HUCB cells, i.e. the cells that constitute the subpopulation enriched in MSCs, expresses pluripotency and myogenic markers, and have a positive impact at the regeneration of injured mouse skeletal muscle.

Keywords: Human umbilical cord blood, mesenchymal stem cells, myogenesis, regeneration, myoblasts, macrophages, myogenic differentiation, hematopoietic stem cells.