Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Muscle derived stem cells (MDSCs) can be isolated from human orbicularis oculi muscle and be differentiated to a Schwann cell phenotype which could eventually provide functional benefits for peripheral nerve repair.
OBJECTIVE: To induce the differentiation of MDSCs into Schwann cell phenotype.
METHODS: ①Under the support of microscope, we collected the discarded human Orbicularis oculi muscle resected in the upper eyelid blepharoplasty and isolate human-MDSCs within it with aid of tri-enzyme digestion and pre-plating technique, and then identify the cells by immunohistochemistry method. ②We isolated Schwann cells and identify the cells by immunohistochemistry method. Through half-harvest method, we would like to prepare conditioned medium from Schwann cell culture. ③We co-culture human-MDSCs with Schwann cell conditioned medium and the transdifferentiated cell morphology was investigated daily under microscope. The common used marker, S-100, GFAP and p75 were stained to identify Schwann cell phenotype with use of immunohistochemistry method.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: ①We collected human Orbicularis oculi muscle sample from three young female volunteer with their consensus. Human-MDSCs were isolated from Orbicularis oculi muscle and have their desmin positively stained and Sca-1 was positively expressed. ②Schwann cells were isolated and identified with S-100 positively stained at the rate of (97.4±0.7)%. ③The isolated human-MDSCs were successfully transdifferentiated into Schwann cell-like cells with positive expression of S100, GFAP and p75, which would serve as a unanimous evidence of Schwann cell phenotype. Human-MDSCs could be transdifferentiated into Schwann cell-like cells when co-cultured within Schwann cell conditioned medium, which would serve as an alternative candidate for commonly studied Schwann cells in tissue engineering nerve graft.