Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as an alternative to fetal bovine serum (FBS) in the culture of mesenchymal stem cells in cell therapy

Stem cells (SC) are defined by having proliferation and differentiation properties, with cellular self-renewal capacity, due to these characteristics they are widely studied in the cell therapy field. The Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) represent the most studied population of SC, due to their capacity to originate cardiomyocytes, skeletal muscle, neural precursors, among other cells. To culture MSCs in the laboratory, culture medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS) must be used. Despite its extensive use in protocols for cell expansion, FBS presents potential risks that cannot be neglected and are difficult to eliminate from serum. An alternative to the use of SFB is platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which contains high concentration of growth factors (GFs) assisting in cell proliferation in vitro. The main objective of the study is to analyze the feasibility of replacing FBS with PRP from umbilical cord blood to supplement the cell culture medium.