Isolation and characterization of mesenchymal stem cells from the amniotic membrane.

Abstract

The aim of the study was the isolation and the genotypic and phenotypic characterization of mesenchymal stem cells from the amniotic membrane. The placentas included in the study were derived from pregnancies with a normal evolution. Along with the placentas, umbilical cord blood and maternal peripheral blood samples were taken. The isolation and the culture of cells from the amniotic membrane was followed by the determination of the markers of these cells. The cells expressed markers characteristic of stem cells. Immunofluorescence and evaluation of the gene expression evidenced the pluripotential properties of these cells. HLA expression provides information that might help explain the immunological mechanisms of tolerance between the maternal organism and fetal structures.