Comparative characteristics of amniotic membrane, endometrium and ovarian derived mesenchymal stem cells: A role for amniotic membrane in stem cell therapy

Objectives: Isolation and comparison of cellular and molecular characteristics of MSCs derived from full term amniotic membrane (AM), endometrium and ovarian tissues. Investigation of a possible therapeutic potential for AM MSCs in the female reproductive tract. Study design & methods: Human amniotic membranes (AMs) from term placentas (N = 8), endometrial/stromal (by scrapping endometrium) and ovarian tissues from premenopausal hysterectomies (N = 6) after mincing and enzymatic digestion were included in the study. Immunophenotyping by flow cytometry, Karyotyping, differentiation to mesoderm, RT-PCR analysis for transcription factors, WNT signaling pathways, pluripotency markers and HOXA genes were performed. Results: Generated cells showed morphologically and phenotypically the characteristics of MSCs from other sources with fairly comparable results. The cumulative population doubling was significantly higher in endometrium MSCs 25 ± 5.2 compared to 17.2 ± 4.5 for AM MSCs and 10.7 ± 2.4 for ovarian MSCs (P