Evaluation of growth of full term amniotic fluid C-kit positive stem cell / Aini Nadhirah Mohammad Sufian

Amniotic fluid contains a heterogeneous population of cells having broadly multipotent to pluripotent characteristics. The cells are accessible, possess low imrnunogenicity, non-tumorigenic and devoid of ethical issues. Amniotic fluid stem cells can be derived from mid-term and full-term gestation. Many studies were done on mid-term amniotic fluid and there are limited studies done on full-term amniotic fluid stem cells. Full-term amniotic fluid stem cells represents a more promising source as they do not involve an invasive procedure, in addition to the presence of high proliferative stem cells. Despite having pluripotent properties, the growth rate and population doubling time of the cells were not reported. The aim of this study is to determine the growth curve of the cells and population doubling time. The cells were cultured and showed similar fibroblastic and round-shaped morphology as displayed in previous findings. Cell suspension dilutions were prepared and seeded onto gelatin­ coated flasks to count the number of cells to be plotted on a growth curve. The AFS cells showed an exponential growth curve with 24 h population doubling time, indicating its high proliferative capabilities. In conclusion, AFS cells of full-term pregnancy doubles at a shorter time as compared to mid-term AFS cells despite having similar morphology. The rapid growth of the cells may due to changes in cellular profile in which the underlying cause is unknown. Future studies can be done to prove its stability. The cells offer a greater advantage for further research in drug testing or drug discovery.