Isolation and Characterization of Antler-Derived Multipotent Stem Cells

Recent studies have reported that stem cells can be isolated from various tissues such as bone marrow, fatty tissue, umbilical cord blood, Wharton's jelly, and placenta. These types of stem cell studies have also arisen in veterinary medicine. Deer antlers show a seasonal regrowth of tissue, an...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Min-Soo Seo, Sang-Bum Park, Soon-Won Choi, Jae-Jun Kim, Hyung-Sik Kim, Kyung-Sun Kang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2014-07-01
Series:Cell Transplantation
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3727/096368912X661391
Description
Summary:Recent studies have reported that stem cells can be isolated from various tissues such as bone marrow, fatty tissue, umbilical cord blood, Wharton's jelly, and placenta. These types of stem cell studies have also arisen in veterinary medicine. Deer antlers show a seasonal regrowth of tissue, an unusual feature in mammals. Antler tissue therefore might offer a source of stem cells. To explore the possibility of stem cell populations within deer antlers, we isolated and successfully cultured antler-derived multipotent stem cells (MSCs). Antler MSCs were maintained in a growth medium, and the proliferation potential was measured via an assay called the cumulative population doubling level. Immunophenotyping and immunostaining revealed the intrinsic characteristic stem cell markers of antler MSCs. To confirm the ability to differentiate, we conducted osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic induction under the respective differentiation conditions. We discovered that antler MSCs have the ability to differentiate into multiple lineages. In conclusion, our results show that deer antler tissue may contain MSCs and therefore may be a potential source for veterinary regenerative therapeutics.
ISSN:0963-6897
1555-3892