Stem cells of fallopian tube mucosa lost their stemness characteristics under prolonged conditions

OBJECTIVE: Stem cells have been identified from various adult sources, including bone marrow, adipose tissue, and placenta, to name a few. Recently, the fallopian tube has also been identified as a novel source of therapeutics. However, the ability of stem cells from the fallopian tube mucosa to retain prolonged efficacy of proliferation and differentiation is yet to be explored. This forms the basis of the present study. METHODS: Stem cells isolated from the fallopian tube mucosa were tested for their marker characterization (markers of mesenchymal, pericyte, epithelial, and cell adhesion molecules) at various passages (P1, P3, P5, P10, P15). Proliferation, differentiation (osteoblast and adipocytes), and karyotyping were also carried out at both early (P3) and late (P15) passages. RESULTS: Fallopian tube mucosa possesses mesenchymal stem cells, but they do not retain the ability to proliferate and differentiate beyond P15. CONCLUSIONS: Although fallopian tube mucosal MSCs (FT-MMSCs) possess stem cell attributes, they cannot outweigh or be used in parallel to existing stem cell sources due to their inability to retain stemness characteristics beyond P15. Since FT-MMSC studies are in their infancy, further in-depth research is warranted to test whether FT-MMSCs have a use in bench to bedside applications. FT-MMSCs might be linked to tubal inflammation and fallopian tube hyperplasia, which contributes to a possible role in diagnostics and in providing insights for the betterment of womankind.