Neonatal Mice Muscle-Derived Stem Cells Differentiate Into Schwann Cell-Like Cells In Vitro

Purpose: Muscle, as the most abundant organ, has been extensively used to study adult stem cells. In this study, we examined the biological characteristics of muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) and further evaluated the feasibility of inducing MDSCs under in vitro conditions to differentiate into cells exhibiting characteristics similar to those of Schwann cells (SC). Methods: We isolated multipotent muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) from neonatal skeletal muscle using a modified preplate technique. To characterize transdifferentiated MDSCs, we used immunocytochemistry to induce the expressions of select markers following a general observation of their morphology. Results: MDSCs exhibit grow patterns similar to that of stem spheres in stem cell medium, gaining the ability to self-renew and differentiate into the myotubes and myofibers. MDSCs express the hematopoietic stem cell marker (Sca-1) as well as a muscular cellular surface protein (Desmin). Immunocytochemical staining indicated that the treated cells were a subset of cells expressing the glial cell markers (S100 beta) and low-affinity nerve growth factor receptor (P75(NTR)), indicative of differentiation towards SC phenotypes. Conclusion: Our in vitro study is a proof-of-concept for the viability of MDSC differentiation to exhibit SC-like characteristics. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are required, however, to clarify and address the observed limitations and to fully develop MDSCs therapy for peripheral nerve injury degeneration.