Comparative Analysis of Porcine Adipose- and Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are important stem cells that have potential for use in cultured meat as well as for clinical applications. Among various animal species, porcine MSCs have received comparatively less attention. In this study, we aimed to compare two types of porcine MSCs by comparing proliferation rate, differentiation potential and mitochondrial metabolism. Adipose-derived stem cells showed better adipogenic and chondrogenic differentiation potential, higher proliferative capacity, and higher mitochondrial oxygen consumption than Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells. This comparative analysis will be useful for understanding porcine MSCs, which are rarely studied in pigs. ABSTRACT: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising candidates for tissue regeneration, cell therapy, and cultured meat research owing to their ability to differentiate into various lineages including adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteocytes. As MSCs display different characteristics depending on the tissue of origin, the appropriate cells need to be selected according to the purpose of the research. However, little is known of the unique properties of MSCs in pigs. In this study, we compared two types of porcine mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from the dorsal subcutaneous adipose tissue (adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs)) and Wharton’s jelly of the umbilical cord (Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs)) of 1-day-old piglets. The ADSCs displayed a higher proliferation rate and more efficient differentiation potential into adipogenic and chondrogenic lineages than that of WJ-MSCs; conversely, WJ-MSCs showed superior differentiation capacity towards osteogenic lineages. In early passages, ADSCs displayed higher proliferation rates and mitochondrial energy metabolism (measured based on the oxygen consumption rate) compared with that of WJ-MSCs, although these distinctions diminished in late passages. This study broadens our understanding of porcine MSCs and provides insights into their potential applications in animal clinics and cultured meat science.