Evaluation of Culture Morphology of Neuronally Transdifferentiated Wharton's Jelly Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Background: The prospect of mesenchymal stem cells ( MSCs) as an adult stem cell source for neuronal tissue regeneration via their ability to differentiate into neurons has generated considerable excitement in regenerative cell therapy. Methods: In this study, we isolated ovine Wharton's jelly derived MSCs and expanded in vitro in adherent culture. After the characterisation of MSCs using specific markers, we analysed the culture morphology of MSCs differentiated into neurons by a twostep chemical- based induction protocols involving a pre-induction step and a direct one step chemical-based induction protocol. Morphological changes after induction were evaluated. Result: In both the methods, after neuronal induction, the cells displayed phenotypic characteristic of neurons and comparatively less cytotoxicity was observed in the direct induction method. This study confirmed the possibility of generating neuron like cells from ovine WJ-MSCs and thereby exploring the potential of MSCs as therapeutic tool for treating neurological disorders in Veterinary Medicine.