Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Their Differentiation in the Cardiomyocyte Direction in the Presence of Dimethyl Sulfoxide

Abstract

Cell transplantation is a modern strategy for injured heart tissues regeneration. One of the promising sources for the generation of cardiomyocytes is embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells iPSCs genetically modified murine ESC and iPSC lines expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of the cardiospecific α-myosin heavy chain (MHC) promoter were used for the research; differentiation was carried out in a suspension culture with constant stirring. The effect of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on the processes of differentiation of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) towards cardiomyocytes was studied both at the stage of mesoderm cells formation and at the stage of the cardiomyocytes progenitors formation. Optimal term of DMSO application into the culture was determined. It has been established that the addition of DMSO from the 5th day until the 9th day of cultivation increased the cardiomyocyte differentiation efficiency by one and a half times.