[Primary experimental studies on differentiation of marrow mesenchymal stem cells into skin appendage cells in vivo].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the feasibility of differentiation of the marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into the cells of the skin appendages and the mechanism of their involvement in the wound healing.

METHODS

The bone marrow was collected from Wistar rats by the flushing of the femurs, MSCs were isolated and purified by the density gradient centrifugation. Then, the MSCs were amplified and labelled with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU). The full-thickness skin wounds with an area of 1 cm x 1 cm were made on the mid back of the homogeneous male Wistar rats. At the same time, 1 x 10(6)/ml BrdU-labelled MSCs were infused from the penile vein. The specimens were harvested from the wound tissues on the 3rd day and the 7th day after operation and were immunohistochemically stained by either BrdU or BrdU and pan-keratin.

RESULTS

The BrdU positive cells appeared in the hypodermis, the sebaceous glands, and the hair follicles of the wounds, as well as the medullary canal of the femurs. The double-staining showed the BrdU positive cells in the sebaceous glands and the hair follicles of the wounds expressed pan-keratin simultaneously.

CONCLUSION

During the course of the wound healing, MSCs are involved in the wound repair and can differentiate into the cells of the skin appendages under the microenvironment of the wound.