The potential of Wharton’s jelly in regenerative medicine applications
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Arefeh Basiri,1,*
1. School of advanced technologies in medicine, Isfahan university of medical sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Introduction: Wharton's jelly is a gelatinous substance within the umbilical cord with highlight applications for regenerative medicine. Wharton's jelly is rich of extracellular matrix (ECM) components and acts as a mucous connective tissue containing some fibroblasts, macrophages, and also mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as well as exosomes. Moreover, because it is a waste of childbirth without ethical issues, it could be an appropriate source for regenerative medicine applications. In this review,the three major advantages of Wharton's jelly for regenerative medicine are introduced.
ECM components of Wharton's jelly include mucopolysaccharides such as hyaluronic acid and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and also proteins such as collagens and peptide growth factors. An appropriate scaffold for tissue engineering should simulate the structure of the natural ECM to facilitate cell adhesion and proliferation. Natural biomaterials for scaffold fabrication are functionally superior to synthetic ones due to providing a microenvironment resembling the natural ECM and biological cues, which provide superior cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation. Recently, decellularized ECM has paied many attentions in the field of tissue engineering. After decellularization, the xenogeneic and allogenic antigens are removed while retaining the ECM components.
Besides, Wharton's jelly contains primitive mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) with the highest concentration per millilitre than other allogeneic tissues. Wharton’s jelly MSC may be more effective than MSC from adult tissues in the treatment of several conditions, and though safe and efficient. Exosomes are a type of extracellular vesicles with a diameter ranging from ~ 30 to 150 nm, derived from a sequential process of multivesicular body membrane remodelling. Exosomes could be found in multiple body fluids, such as blood plasma, amniotic fluid, and Wharton’s jelly. Exosomes are secreted from several cell types, especially stem cells and play a significant role in intercellular communications. Recently, exosomes have also emerged as an attractive cell-free therapeutic alternative with great regenerative potential.
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- Conclusion: In conclusion, Wharton's jelly could introduced as a significant source for regenerative medicine due to: 1) high amounts of ECM components which can use as scaffold constructs for better cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation, 2) MSCs which are more safe and efficient than other multipotent stem cells, and 3) exosomes which currently consider for cell-free therapies to avoid the limitations of cell therapy.
- Keywords: Wharton's jelly, ECM, MSCs, Exosome
