Effect of donor age on the proliferation and multipotency of canine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Research into adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) has demonstrated the feasibility of their use in clinical applications due to their ease of isolation and abundance in adipose tissue. We isolated AD-MSCs from young and old dogs, and the cells were subjected to sequential sub-passaging from passage 1 (P1) to P7. Canine AD-MSCs (cAD-MSCs) were examined for proliferation kinetics, expression of molecules associated with self-renewal, expression of cell surface markers, and differentiation potentials at P3. Cumulative population doubling level was significantly higher in cAD-MSCs of young donors than in those of old donors. In addition, expressions of CD73, CD80, Oct3/4, Nanog, cell survival genes and differentiation potentials were significantly higher in young donors than in old donors. The present study suggests that donor age should be considered when developing cell-based therapies for clinical application of cAD-MSCs.