Comparison of immunological properties of bone marrow stromal cells and adipose tissue-derived stem cells before and after osteogenic differentiation in vitro

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be isolated from various tissues and represent an attractive cell population for tissue-engineering purposes. MSCs from bone marrow (bone marrow stromal cells [BMSCs]) are negative for immunologically relevant surface markers and inhibit proliferation of allogenic T cells in vitro. Therefore, BMSCs are said to be available for allogenic cell therapy. Although the immunological characteristics of BMSCs have been the subject of various investigations, those of stem cells isolated from adipose tissue (ASCs) have not been adequately described. In addition, the influence of osteogenic differentiation in vitro on the immunological characteristics of BMSCs and ASCs is the subject of this article. Before and after osteogenic induction, the influence of BMSCs and ASCs on the proliferative behavior of resting and activated allogenic peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was studied as a measure of the immune response (mixed lymphocyte culture). At the same points, the expression of immunologically relevant surface markers (e.g., major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-I, MHC-II, CD40, CD40L) was measured, and correlations between the different sets of results were sought. The pattern of surface antigen expression of BMSCs is the same as that of ASCs. Analogous to BMSCs, undifferentiated cells isolated from adipose tissue lack expression of MHC-II; this is not lost in the course of the osteogenic differentiation process. In co-culture with allogenic PBMCs, both cell types fail to lead to any significant stimulation, and they both retain these characteristics during the differentiation process. BMSCs and ASCs suppress proliferation on activated PBMCs before and after osteogenic differentiation. Our results confirm that MSCs are immune modulating cells. These properties are retained even after osteogenic induction in vitro and seem to be similar in BMSCs and ASCs. Our results suggest that allogenic transplantation of BMSCs and ASCs would be possible, for example, in the context of tissue engineering.