Optimization of a mesenchymal stromal cells transportation system on polyethylene terephthalate based scaffold: potential clinical use in patients with skin injuries.

Abstract

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been used for inducing skin regeneration in patients with severe cutaneous wounds. However, transportation of these cells from cellular therapy units to hospitals is an important issue for clinical use. Several types of synthetic biomaterial scaffolds have been used for carrying different type of cells. Among them, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) scaffolds have shown that maintains the viability and biological functionality of MSCs. Here, we aimed to evaluate the viability and functionality of MSCs seeded on PET membranes, maintained under different cell culture conditions, as a possible system for cell transportation. In this work, human MSCs were seeded and cultured on PET membranes (MSCs/PET) at 37 °C or room temperature (RT) for 24 h. Adhesion, viability, proliferation, migration and multipotential differentiation were evaluated in all experimental conditions. MSCs survival, viability, proliferation and multipotential differentiation were similar on both PET membranes and plastic culture dishes, after 24 h of culture at 37 °C or RT. Microscopic observation of MSCs seeded on PET membranes or plastic culture dishes showed their characteristic fibroblastoid morphology at both temperature conditions. Our results show that PET membranes constitute an optimal scaffold for MSCs transportation. The MSCs-PET system might be used not only for transporting MSCs to health center but also as cell-based wound dressing system for inducing skin regeneration in patients with cutaneous wounds such as burned patients.