Human Placental Mesenchymal Stem Cells (pMSCs) Play a Role as Immune Suppressive Cells by Shifting Macrophage Differentiation from Inflammatory M1 to Anti-inflammatory M2 Macrophages

Abstract

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a therapeutic potential in tissue repair because of capacity for multipotent differentiation and their ability to modulate the immune response. In this study, we examined the ability of human placental MSCs (pMSCs) to modify the differentiation of human monocytes into macrophages and assessed the influence of pMSCs on important macrophage functions. Methods: We used GM-CSF to stimulate the differentiation of monocytes into the M1 macrophage pathway and then co-cultured these cells with pMSCs in the early stages of macrophage differentiation. We then evaluated the effect on differentiation by microscopic examination and by quantification of molec..