Chemical-defined medium supporting the expansion of human mesenchymal stem cells

Abstract Objectives Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been intensively investigated as to their therapeutic potentials. However, the full chemical-defined medium supporting the isolation and expansion of human MSCs has not been developed yet. Materials and methods Here, we developed the full chemical-defined medium, NBVbe medium, via RNA sequencing, bioinformatic analysis, and growth factor screening. Results The NBVbe medium contains N2B27 medium with the BSA (bovine serum albumin) replaced by the recombinant human albumin, bFGF (basic fibroblast growth factor), vitamin C, and EGF (epidermal growth factor). The NBVbe medium could support the isolation and expansion of human MSCs from the umbilical cords. Conclusions The full chemical-defined medium supporting the isolation and expansion of human MSCs has been developed. This would be helpful for further optimization of the MSC medium, their clinical applications, and molecular characterization.