The first report about in vitro differentiation of menstrual blood stem cells into keratinocyte-like cells

Introduction: Recently, some characteristic of menstrual blood stem cells (MensScs) such as non-invasive accessibility, refreshing & high proliferation capability have impelled scientists to take advantages of these cells for cell therapy of different diseases including skin disorders. In this study, we evaluated the transdifferentiation capability of MenSCs into keratinocyte. Methods: The isolated stem cells from menstrual blood samples were characterized and subsequently co-cultured with seeded human keratinocytes on trans-wells up to 2 weeks. Thereafter, expression of keratinocyte markers such as Involucrin (IVL), Cytokeratin 14 (K14) and P63 was assessed in differentiated cells in reference to undifferentiated cells using immunofluorescent staining and Real-time PCR. Results: Based on given analysis, the isolated MenSCs exhibited typical expression of keratinocyte markers at mRNA and protein levels. The immunocytochemistry staining showed that the differentiated MenSCs could express P63, K14 and IVL protein. Moreover, the expression levels of P63, K14 and IVL mRNA significantly up regulated in differentiated MenSCs compared to undifferentiated cells (6.59 , 11, 2.94 fold, respectively, P=0.001 for all the three markers). Conclusion: Our result demonstrated that MenSCs can develop to keratinocytes. The development of the method for efficient differentiation of MensScs into keratinocyte lineage will enable us to access the massive source of epithelial cells for treatment and healing purposes. But the future studies are required to found out applicability of these cells for clinical trial of skin diseases. Keywords: Menstrual blood stem cell, keratinocyte, differentiatio