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Amniotic Fluid Stem Cell Culture Methods

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Fetal Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine

Part of the book series: Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine ((STEMCELL))

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Abstract

In the last decade, amniotic fluid (AF) has gained extensive attention as a source of stem cells with potential applications in pharmaceutical screening, disease modeling and cell-based therapies. In particular, the routine collection of AF through amniocentesis in the clinic has facilitated its availability for isolating amniotic fluid stem cells (AFSCs) as a reliable and renewable source of stem cells without the issues of ethical constraints associated with embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and scarcity related to adult stem cells. AFSCs display beneficial immunomodulatory properties, high survival rates, widely-used stem cell markers and the capacity for long term culturing, expansion and cryopreservation. Furthermore, there is compelling evidence that AFSCs can differentiate into various cell types of the three germ layers under the proper culturing conditions. AFSCs and their differentiated cell types have been proven to be safe and functional in animal models. These features along with the compatibility of AF cells may provide patients with opportunities to have access to their own cells. Blood relatives and possibly others with a high matching probability may benefit as well.

This chapter offers a review of AFSCs isolation and culturing methods with an emphasis on cell characterization and differentiation. Recent methods to enrich AFSCs based on morphological features, cell surface marker(s) and transcription factors have been discussed in detail. In addition, culturing conditions to differentiate AFSCs into several cell types, single cell cloning, reprogramming approaches and neuronal differentiation have been covered.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Chang medium was developed for the primary culture of human AF cells for use in karyotyping and other antenatal genetic testing. The formula consists of a two part system: a liquid basal medium and supplement. The medium contains salts (7900 mg/L), dextrose (1400 mg/L), amino acids (1000 mg/L), polypeptides (66 mg/L), vitamins (22 mg/L), deoxyribonucleosides (21 mg/L), ribonucleosides (20 mg/L), sodium pyruvate (110 mg/L), newborn calf serum (6 % v/v), fetal bovine serum (6 % v/v) as well as steroid hormones (0.0013 mg/L), hormones and trace element (0.0025 mg/L) and other components (8 mg/L).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Translational Bioscience, Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, National Research Council Canada, Bldg. M54, 1200 Montreal Road, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1A 0R6

    Dema Najem M.Sc., Maria Ribecco-Lutkiewicz Ph.D., Caroline Sodja M.Sc. & Danica Stanimirovic M.D., Ph.D.

  2. Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Newborn Care, The Ottawa Hospital, 501 Smyth Road, Room 8472, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1H 8L6

    Felipe Mangoni Moretti M.D.

  3. Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Rd., Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1H 8M5

    Danica Stanimirovic M.D., Ph.D.

  4. Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Mahmud Bani-Yaghoub Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Dema Najem M.Sc.
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  2. Maria Ribecco-Lutkiewicz Ph.D.
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  3. Caroline Sodja M.Sc.
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  4. Felipe Mangoni Moretti M.D.
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  5. Danica Stanimirovic M.D., Ph.D.
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  6. Mahmud Bani-Yaghoub Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mahmud Bani-Yaghoub Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Childrens Hosp Boston & Harvard Med, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Dario O. Fauza

  2. Department of Cellular and Molecular Med, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicin, OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada

    Mahmud Bani

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Najem, D., Ribecco-Lutkiewicz, M., Sodja, C., Moretti, F.M., Stanimirovic, D., Bani-Yaghoub, M. (2016). Amniotic Fluid Stem Cell Culture Methods. In: Fauza, D., Bani, M. (eds) Fetal Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine. Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3483-6_10

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