Vitrification of Dog Skin Tissue as a Source of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

The purpose of this study was to develop an efficient vitrification system for cryopreservation of dog skin tissues as a source of stable autologous stem cells. In this study, we performed vitrification using four different cryoprotectants, namely, ethylene glycol (EG), dimethyl-sulfoxide (Me2SO), EG plus Me2SO, and EG plus Me2SO plus sucrose, and analyzed the behaviors of cells established from warmed tissues. Tissues vitrified with 15% EG, 15% Me2SO, and 0.5 M sucrose had a normal histological appearance and the highest cell viability after cell isolation, and thus, this cocktail of cryoprotectants was used in subsequent experiments. We evaluated proliferation and apoptosis of cells derived from fresh and vitrified tissues. These cells had a normal spindle-like morphology after homogenization through subculture. Dog dermal skin stem cells (dDSSCs) derived from fresh and vitrified tissues had similar proliferation capacities, and similar percentages of these cells were positive for mesenchymal stem cell markers at passage 3. The percentage of apoptotic cell did not differ between dDSSCs derived from fresh and vitrified tissues. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that dDSSCs at passage 3 derived from fresh and vitrified tissues had similar expression levels of pluripotency (OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG), proapoptotic (BAX), and antiapoptotic (BCL2 and BIRC5) genes. Both types of dDSSCs successfully differentiated into the mesenchymal lineage (adipocytes and osteocytes) under specific conditions, and their differentiation potentials did not significantly differ. Furthermore, the mitochondrial membrane potential of dDSSCs derived from vitrified tissues was comparable with that of dDSSCs derived from fresh tissues. We conclude that vitrification of dog skin tissues using cocktail solution in combination of 15% EG, 15% Me2SO, and 0.5 M sucrose allows efficient banking of these tissues for regenerative stem cell therapy and conservation of genetic resources.