Effects of Stem Cells on Rat Embryo Development in Hypoxy Embryo Culture
BRATISLAVA MEDICAL JOURNAL, vol.126, no.6, pp.881-897, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 126 Issue: 6
- Publication Date: 2025
- Doi Number: 10.1007/s44411-025-00117-5
- Journal Name: BRATISLAVA MEDICAL JOURNAL
- Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
- Page Numbers: pp.881-897
- Keywords: Rat, Whole embryo culture, Hypoxia, Stem cell therapy, Mesenchymal stem cells
- Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection
- Erciyes University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
Objective This study aimed to compare the in vitro effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) and adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs) in mitigating intrauterine growth retardation caused by oxidative stress. Materials and Method 9.5-day-old embryos from Wistar albino pregnant rats were exposed to in vitro hypoxia and treated with BM-MSCs or AT-MSCs in embryo culture. At 11.5 days, embryos and yolk sacs were evaluated morphologically and histologically to assess developmental differences between groups. Results Hypoxia induced angiogenesis- and neurogenesis-related anomalies. Stem cell treatments (H + BM-MSC, H + AT-MSC) significantly improved embryonic development compared to the hypoxia group (p < 0.05). Although stem cell-treated embryos lagged slightly behind controls under normoxia (p > 0.05), both BM-MSC and AT-MSC applications mitigated hypoxia-related growth defects. Notably, the H + AT-MSC group showed superior development compared to the H + BM-MSC group (p < 0.05), with results closer to the normoxic control group. Conclusion AT-MSCs demonstrated a more effective improvement in embryonic and yolk sac development compared to BM-MSCs under hypoxic conditions. These findings suggest that AT-MSC therapy could offer a promising approach to treat angiogenetic and neurogenetic disorders caused by oxidative stress.