Characteristics of Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from Human Terminal Placenta

Cell cultures isolated by the enzymatic method from the terminal placenta amnion consist mainly from epithelial cells, expressing cytokeratin-7, CD90, and CD73, are characterized by high viability and low proliferative potential. Adhesive cultures of umbilical (Wharton’s jelly) cells, despite the fibroblast-like shape of the cells and expression of surface markers, intrinsic to mesenchymal stromal cells, are also characterized by high heterogeneity during the initial stages of culturing, judging by an appreciable share of cytokeratin-expressing cells. The terminal placenta chorionic villi can be a source of cells with the most typical morphology and immunophenotypical profile of the resident multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells, which retain high viability in vitro and have a high proliferative potential.