Temporary Hypoxia is Good for Mesenchymal Stem Cells

St Louis, MO -

Mesenchymal stem cells are very exciting since they can be used in an allogeneic manner.  While these cells have demonstrated therapeutic effects in liver failure, heart failure, and even diabetes, the main question still remains, how to increase their potency? One way is to transfect mesenchymal stem cells with genes such as Sox-2 or Nanog, which endows more proliferative capacity and differentiation ability. 

In a recent paper (Rosova et al. Hypoxic Preconditioning Results in Increased Motility and Improved Therapeutic Potential of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Stem Cells 2008 May 29) a novel way of "supercharging" mesenchymal stem cells is demonstrated.

The authors showed that culture of mesenchymal stem cells in conditions of low oxygen (around 2%) increases expression of c-Met and migration rate in response to chemoattractant gradients.  To demonstrate in vivo efficacy the scientists administered control mesenchymal stem cells, and mesenchymal stem cells that have been preconditioned for 24 hours by hypoxia to mice having undergone femoral artery ligation.  The mesenchymal stem cells were administered intra-arterially.  While both groups had a positive response, increased vascularity and reduced limb loss was observed in the groups that recieved mesenchymal stem cells that were preconditioned with hypoxia.

This study demonstrates that a relatively simple procedure such as hypoxic preconditioning can be used to augment activity of stem cell therapies that are already in clinical use today.