The Effects of Preconditioning on Survival of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Vitro

Background Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) survival decreased following in vivo injection and its application has been limited in stem cell therapy. Preconditioning was established as a strategy to increase the cells’ efficiency, but more studies are necessary to determine its safety and mechanisms. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of preconditioning mesenchymal stem cells with low serum and H₂O₂ on in vitro cell survival. Methods Mesenchymal stem cells were cultured and preconditioned with low serum and H₂O₂ for 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours in six groups. Control, group I with 5 μM H₂O₂, group II with 10 μM H₂O₂, group III with 0.5% fetal bovine serum (FBS), group IV: 5 μM H₂O₂ + 0.5% FBS and V: 10 μM H₂O₂ + 0.5% FBS. Cell proliferation was evaluated with the MTT assay. Results Cell proliferation in groups IV and V increased significantly compared to the other groups after 6, 12 and 24 hours of treatment (P < 0.05). Also, after 48 hours, cell treatment with 5 μM H₂O₂+ 0.5% FBS led to a significant increase in cell proliferation (P < 0.05). Conclusions Our data suggest that preconditioning with 5 μM H₂O₂ + 0.5% FBS and 10 μM H₂O₂ + 5% FBS improved cell proliferation and viability. However, the mechanisms related to protective properties of preconditioning and using this strategy in stem cell therapy requires more research.