Int. Adv. Otol. 2011; 7:(2) 137-147

Auditory Cell Induction from Mesenchymal Stem Cells of Human Umbilical Cord Blood
Mi-Young Choi, Ki-Chul Gil, Sang-A Back, Shi-Nae Park, Sang Won Yeo, Kyoung Ho Park
Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

Objective: It is known that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can differentiate into various cell types, such as neurons, liver cells, and epidermal cells. We examined the differentiation of MSCs from umbilical cord blood (UCB) into auditory hair cells and neurons.

Materials and Methods: We isolated MSCs from UCB and confirmed them using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The culture medium used for neurosphere differentiation contained epidermal and basic fibroblast growth factors. Glial-derived neurotrophic factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and neurotrophic factor were used for hair cell and neuronal differentiation from MSCs. After culture for 7 and 14 days, immunocytochemistry and reverse transcription polymerase chainreaction were performed to characterize the neurospheres and differentiated cells.

Results: We isolated MSCs from UCB and demonstrated that the MSCs could differentiate into neural progenitor cells,neurons, and hair cells using culture medium containing different growth factors.

Conclusion: The MSCs from UCB can differentiate into auditory hair cells and neurons in vitro. Our results may increase the possibility of treating intractable sensorineural hearing loss with UCB by regenerating the hair cells and neurons of the inner ear.