The Evaluation of Mass/DNA Copy Number of Mitochondria in Umbilical Cord Blood-derived Hematopoietic Stem Cells Cocultured with MSCs

Over recent decades, UCB has been widely used as an excellent alternative source of HSCs for treating many hematologic disorders. Recent studies suggest using mesenchymal stroma cell co-cultures to increase the number of HSCs prior to transplantation. Considering the critical role of mitochondria in the cell's fate and the importance of the self-renewal capacity of HSCs in HSCT, we decided to investigate the mass/DNA copy number of mitochondria in HSCs while co-cultured with MSCs and alone after seven days. UCB units were collected from full-term deliveries. MSCs and HSCs were isolated from UCB and the purity of cells was confirmed by flow cytometry. The mtDNA-Copy Number of HSCs was calculated using prob-based real-time PCR. Furthermore, Mito Tracker Green dye measured the mass of mitochondria of HSCs. HSCs from MSC co-culture group showed significantly fewer mtDNA-CN compared to HSCs alone after seven days (p