Comparison of proliferative activity of Wharton jelly mesenchymal stem cells in cultures under various gas conditions

Aim. To optimize the cultivation of Wharton jelly-derived mesenchyma stem cells (WJ-MSCs) using physiological oxygen concentrations, and to compare the effect of “hypoxic” gas mixtures, based on nitrogen and argon, on their proliferative activity. Methods. From the first passage, WJ-MSCs were cultivated during five passages in the nitrogen-based gas mixture (3 % oxygen, 4 % carbon dioxide, 93 % nitrogen) and argon-based gas mixture (3 % oxygen, 4 % carbon dioxide, 93 % argon), 7 days before replating. At each passage the final cell number was estimated and the number of population doublings was calculated. Results. The proliferation level of WJ-MSCs, cultured in both gas mixtures with 3 % of O2, was significantly higher compared to that under the regular CO2-incubator conditions. In argon-based mixture, the WJ-MSCs proliferation was higher than in the control but lower than in nitrogen-based mixture. Conclusion. Cultivation of human WJ-MSCs under 3 % O2 had a stimulating effect on the cell proliferation potential. The highest intensity of the cell multiplication was observed in the nitrogen-based mixtures.