Effects of Randomized Central Nerve System Anomalies on the Expression of Stem/Progenitor Cell Markers in the Different Components of Human Fetus Umbilical Cord

Abstract

Aim: In this study, immunophenotypic changes of stem cells in umbilical cords of fetuses taken with 12-20 weeks of central nervous system (CNS) anomaly were investigated at the tissue level. The basis of the study was based on the hypothesis that central nervous system pathologies may adversely affect the stem cell profile in the umbilical cord during early fetal development. Materials and Methods: The umbilical cords of 6 human fetuses with CNS anomalies between 12-20 weeks were used as the study group (n=6). As the control group, umbilical cords of 6 human fetuses with no CNS anomalies were used (n=6). CD29, CD44, CD73, STRO1, Vimentin, CD90, CD31 and CD34 stem/progenitor markers were evaluated separately in the amniotic epithelium (AE), Wharton jelly (WJ), umbilical artery (UA) and umbilical vein (UV) by immunohistochemistry. CD29, CD90 CD31 expressions were also evaluated by immunofluorescent staining. Results: CNS anomalies suppressed bio-markers in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in WJ. CD29, CD73 and CD90 expressions were found to be low in the AE of CNS Anomaly groups. When looking at the MSC profile in the UA, it was found that CD44 and CD90 expressions decreased in fetus cords with CNS anomalies. CNS anomalies suppressed CD44, CD73 and CD90 immunoexpressions of MSCs in the UV. STRO1 expressions were severely suppressed in both WJ and perivascular areas in the study group. A similar situation is valid for CD34 and CD31 immune-expression. Conclusion: In this study, the effects of CNS anomalies on the umbilical cord stem cell niches were revealed. The effects of CNS anomalies on the stem/progenitor cell profile in the fetal umbilical cord have been demonstrated for the first time in this study