Is the wound healing potential of mesenchymal stem cells affected by cryopreservation?

Scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research—Indian Veterinary Research Institute (Uttar Pradesh, India) have demonstrated that cryopreservation does not affect the stemness and wound healing properties of stem cells derived from goats.

An interdepartmental team of scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research—Indian Veterinary Research Institute (Uttar Pradesh, India) have discovered that the stemness and wound healing properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from goats were not affected by cryopreservation.

In the study, MSCs derived from samples taken from goat fetal tissue were cryopreserved then transplanted into a rat skin wound. By comparing fresh MSCs with cryopreserved MSCs from amniotic fluid, the amniotic sac, Wharton’s jelly and cord blood, it was concluded that there was no significant difference in the growth kinetics, phenotypic characterization and subsequent wound healing potential of the cryopreserved MSCs compared with the fresh.

This study is significant as improved biobanking of stem cells is crucial in making their production more efficient and subsequently the popularization and wider availability of stem cell therapy for regenerative medicine.

Source: Somal A, Bhat IA, Baiju I et al. Impact of Cryopreservation on Caprine Fetal Adnexa Derived Stem Cells and its Evaluation for Growth Kinetics, Phenotypic Characterization and Wound Healing Potential in Xenogenic Rat Model. J. Cell. Physiol. doi:10.1002/jcp.25731 (2016)