Chondrogenic Differentiation Potential of CD271 Positive Mesenchymal Stem Cells through Electrical Stimulation

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exhibit self-renewing capacity and multi-lineage differentiation potential. CD271 has been identified as a marker of the most homogeneous MSCs subset. In this study, we separated CD271 positive MSCs (CD271-MSCs) from canine adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AD-MSCs) using immunomagnetic selection method. Both CD271-MSCs and AD-MSCs showed similar morphology and expressed common immunophenotypic markers (CD34, CD44, and CD45). However, CD271-MSCs and AD-MSCs exhibited difference in chondrogenic differentiation potential. Specifically, CD271-MSCs exhibited increased expression levels of chondrocyte specific markers, collagen type II alpha 1 (COL2A1) and Aggrecan compared to AD-MSCs. Also, electrical stimulation (ES)-treated CD271-MSCs have a greater capacity for expressing heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), COL2A1, and Aggrecan compared to control without exogenous differentiation condition. This study might contribute to the differentiation potential of homogenous MSCs into cartilage cells by specific ES condition in the absence of exogenous differentiation agents.