IJOTM 2008-6490 4 3 2013 07 11 Isolation and Characterization of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Human Umbilical Cord Wharton’s Jelly and Amniotic Membrane 111 116 EN T Pirjali N Azarpira Transplant Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran. negarazarpira@yahoo.com M Ayatollahi MH Aghdai B Geramizadeh T Talai 2012 11 29 Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a capacity for self-renewal and multi-potential differentiations. These cells are considered powerful sources for cell therapy in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. The cells can be isolated from various tissues; however, harvesting from human umbilical cord and amniotic membrane is easy and accessible source.Objective: To isolate and characterize the MSCs derived from human umbilical cord Wharton’s jelly (WJMSC) and amniotic membrane (AM-MSC) with regard to their morphology, immunophenotype and mesodermal differentiation potential in order to obtain an alternative source of MSC for therapeutic clinical applications.Methods: Fetal membranes and umbilical cords (n=3) were retrieved from healthy full-term women by elective cesarean delivery. Amniotic membrane and umbilical cord were separately minced and cultured in DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS. After reaching 80% of confluency, the umbilical cord WJ-MSC and AM-MSC were characterized by expression of cell surface markers with flowcytometry, stem cell gene expression with adipogenic/osteogenic potential.Results: Both WJ-MSC and AM-MSC were spindle-shaped cells, expressed MSC surface markers in flowcytometry and stem cell transcriptional factors (OCT4 and NANOG). After induction, the cells differentiated into adipogenic and osteogenic lineages.Conclusion: MSC were successfully generated from umbilical cord WJ-MSC and AM-MSC with similar mesenchymal markers and properties.