Growth Induction and Low-Oxygen Apoptosis Inhibition of Human CD34+ Progenitors in Collagen Gels

Abstract EN

Various reports have indicated low survival of injected progenitors into unfavorable environments such as the ischemic myocardium or lower limb tissues.

This represents a major bottleneck in stem-cell-based cardiovascular regenerative medicine.

Strategies to enhance survival of these cells in recipient tissues have been therefore sought to improve stem cell survival and ensure long-term engraftment.

In the present contribution, we show that embedding human cord blood-derived CD34+ cells into a collagen I-based hydrogel containing cytokines is a suitable strategy to promote stem cell proliferation and protect these cells from anoxia-induced apoptosis.