BMP2 repression and optimized culture conditions promote human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell isolation

Aim: Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) are multipotent progenitor cells. We propose the optimization of hMSC isolation and recovery using the application of a controlled hypoxic environment. Materials & Methods: We evaluated oxygen, glucose and serum in the recovery of hMSC from bone marrow (BMhMSC). Colony forming units-fibroblastic, cell numbers, tri-lineage differentiation, immunofluorescence and microarray were used to confirm and characterize BMhMSC. Results: In an optimized (2% O2, 4.5 g/l glucose and 5% serum) environment both colony forming units-fibroblastic (p = 0.01) and cell numbers (p = 0.0001) were enhanced over standard conditions. Transcriptional analysis identified differential expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) and, putatively, chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 2 (CXCR2) signaling pathways. Conclusion: We have detailed a potential milestone in the process of refinement of the BMhMSC isolation process.