The preliminary study of endothelial progenitor cells in human cord blood

Aim To search the endothelial progenitor cells in human cord blood and study the requirement for their differentiation and development process. Methods The mononuclear cells were isolated from human cord blood using lymphocyte separation solution. Then the mononuclear cells were cultured in MCDB131 containing 200 ml/L FCS, 5 μmol/L Dexamethasone, and the extract from calf hypothalamus. The morphology of the adherent cells was observed twice daily under inverted phase contrast microscope. Results The preliminary study here showed that there existed proliferative endothelial progenitor cells within the adherent part of human cord blood cells. Dexamethasone decreased the number of spindle shaped cells and caudated cells, the extract from calf hypothalamus increased the number of spindle shaped cells and caudated cells. Conclusion There exist endothelial progenitor cells in the human cord blood, and these cells can differentiate into endothelial like cells in vitro . The experiment lay the foundation for further research.