Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Lysate: A New Biologic Injectate for the Putative Treatment of Acute Temporomandibular Joint Inflammation.

Objective: To compare in vivo, the acute anti-inflammatory effects of a lysate derived from human umbilical perivascular mesenchymal cells with the cells themselves in both an established hind-paw model of carrageenan-induced inflammation and also in the inflamed temporomandibular joint. Study Design: Human umbilical cord perivascular cells were harvested and cultured in xeno- and serum-free conditions to P3. In addition, P3 cells were used to prepare a proprietary 0.22 micron filtered lysate. First, CD1 immunocompetent mice underwent unilateral hind-paw injections of carrageenan for induction of inflammation, followed immediately by treatment with saline (negative control), 1% cell lysate, or viable cells. The contralateral paw remained un-injected with carrageenan. Paw circumference was measured prior to injections and 48 hr later and myeloperoxidase and TNF-alpha concentrations were measured post-sacrifice in excised tissue. Second, immunocompetent Male Wistar rats underwent unilateral intra-articular temporomandibular (TMJ) injections from the same treatment groups and were sacrificed at 4 and 48 hr post-injection. The contralateral TMJ remained un-injected with carrageenan. Articular tissue and synovial aspirates, from the treated TMJ were obtained for histologic and leukocyte infiltration analyses. Results: The lysate and cell-treated hind-paw demonstrated reduced tissue edema, and significantly lower concentrations of myeloperoxidase and TNF-alpha at 48 hr compared to untreated controls. Treated TMJs demonstrated lower concentrations of leukocytes in the synovium compared to controls and histologic evidence, in the peri-articular tissue, of reduced inflammation. Conclusion: In this preliminary study, both the human umbilical perivascular cells and a highly diluted lysate produced therefrom were anti-inflammatory.

Nanoscale implant anchorage aided by cement line deposition into titanium dioxide nanotubes.

The success of titanium dental implants relies on osseointegration, the load-bearing connection between bone tissue and the device that, in contact osteogenesis, comprises the deposition of bony cement line matrix onto the implant surface. Titanium dioxide nanotubes (NTs) are considered a promising surface for improved osseointegration, yet the mechanisms of cement line integration with such features remains elusive. Herein, we illustrate cement line deposition into NTs on the surface of titanium implants with two underlaying microstructures: a machined surface or a blasted/acid etched surface placed in the tibiae of Wistar rats. After retrieval, scanning electron microscopy of tissue reflected from the implant surface indicated minimal incursion of the cement line matrix into the NTs. To investigate this further, focused ion beam was utilized to prepare cross-sectional samples that could be characterized using scanning transmission electron microscopy. The cement line matrix covered NTs regardless of underlying microstructure, which was further confirmed by elemental analysis. In some instances, cement line infiltration into the NTs was noted, which reveals a mechanism of nanoscale anchorage. This study is the first to demonstrate cement line deposition into titanium NTs, suggesting nano-anchorage as a mechanism for the success of the NT modified surfaces in vivo.

Serum- and xeno-free culture of human umbilical cord perivascular cells for pediatric heart valve tissue engineering.

BACKGROUND: Constructs currently used to repair or replace congenitally diseased pediatric heart valves lack a viable cell population capable of functional adaptation in situ, necessitating repeated surgical intervention. Heart valve tissue engineering (HVTE) can address these limitations by producing functional living tissue in vitro that holds the potential for somatic growth and remodelling upon implantation. However, clinical translation of HVTE strategies requires an appropriate source of autologous cells that can be non-invasively harvested from mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-rich tissues and cultured under serum- and xeno-free conditions. To this end, we evaluated human umbilical cord perivascular cells (hUCPVCs) as a promising cell source for in vitro production of engineered heart valve tissue. METHODS: The proliferative, clonogenic, multilineage differentiation, and extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis capacities of hUCPVCs were evaluated in a commercial serum- and xeno-free culture medium (StemMACS™) on tissue culture polystyrene and benchmarked to adult bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMMSCs). Additionally, the ECM synthesis potential of hUCPVCs was evaluated when cultured on polycarbonate polyurethane anisotropic electrospun scaffolds, a representative biomaterial for in vitro HVTE. RESULTS: hUCPVCs had greater proliferative and clonogenic potential than BMMSCs in StemMACS™ (p < 0.05), without differentiation to osteogenic and adipogenic phenotypes associated with valve pathology. Furthermore, hUCPVCs cultured with StemMACS™ on tissue culture plastic for 14 days synthesized significantly more total collagen, elastin, and sulphated glycosaminoglycans (p < 0.05), the ECM constituents of the native valve, than BMMSCs. Finally, hUCPVCs retained their ECM synthesizing capacity after 14 and 21 days in culture on anisotropic electrospun scaffolds. CONCLUSION: Overall, our findings establish an in vitro culture platform that uses hUCPVCs as a readily-available and non-invasively sourced autologous cell population and a commercial serum- and xeno-free culture medium to increase the translational potential of future pediatric HVTE strategies. This study evaluated the proliferative, differentiation and extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis capacities of human umbilical cord perivascular cells (hUCPVCs) when cultured in serum- and xeno-free media (SFM) against conventionally used bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMMSCs) and serum-containing media (SCM). Our findings support the use of hUCPVCs and SFM for in vitro heart valve tissue engineering (HVTE) of autologous pediatric valve tissue. Figure created with BioRender.com.

The Sigmoidal Nature of Bone Anchorage.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to show the full evolution of bone anchorage caused by the growth of secondary stability and to determine which empirical model would provide the best quantitative description of this growth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The retention and anchorage of machined (M), grit-blasted and dual acid etched (BAE), and BAE implants with discrete crystals of calcium phosphate (+DCD) were evaluated with both ex vivo and in vivo methods. Ex vivo evaluation of implant retention was tested by measuring the force required to pull implants out of blood-filled osteotomies formed in bovine bone for up to 1 hour. In vivo measurements of bone anchorage were evaluated by reverse torque testing of implants placed in the proximal metaphysis of rat tibiae up to 28 days after initial placement. Four models were fit to the reverse torque results, and fits were evaluated by Bayesian and Akaike information criteria (BIC and AIC) and analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: AIC and BIC were 655.53 and 684.78, 472.53 and 512.74, 477.40 and 513.96, and 470.60 and 507.16 for the monomolecular, Richards, Gompertz, and logistic curves, respectively. Comparison of the Richards and logistic curves by analysis of variance (ANOVA) resulted in a P value of .78. A comparison of the three implant types using the logistic curve found that M implants had an earlier inflection point compared with BAE implants (P = .038), and the BAE+DCD implants had the greatest peak anchorage and were significantly greater than both M (P < .0001) and BAE implants (P = .005). CONCLUSION: Bone anchorage was found to follow sigmoidal growth, which was best described by the logistic function. Further comparison of the fit values for the logistic curve shows that both overall anchorage and timing of bone anchorage are influenced by implant surface topography.

Engineered mesenchymal stromal cell therapy during human lung ex vivo lung perfusion is compromised by acidic lung microenvironment.

Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) is an excellent platform to apply novel therapeutics, such as gene and cell therapies, before lung transplantation. We investigated the concept of human donor lung engineering during EVLP by combining gene and cell therapies. Premodified cryopreserved mesenchymal stromal cells with augmented anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 production (MSCIL-10) were administered during EVLP to human lungs that had various degrees of underlying lung injury. Cryopreserved MSCIL-10 had excellent viability, and they immediately and efficiently elevated perfusate and lung tissue IL-10 levels during EVLP. However, MSCIL-10 function was compromised by the poor metabolic conditions present in the most damaged lungs. Similarly, exposing cultured MSCIL-10 to poor metabolic, and especially acidic, conditions decreased their IL-10 production. In conclusion, we found that "off-the-shelf" MSCIL-10 therapy of human lungs during EVLP is safe and feasible, and results in rapid IL-10 elevation, and that the acidic target-tissue microenvironment may compromise the efficacy of cell-based therapies.

New insights into spatio-temporal dynamics of mesenchymal progenitor cell ingress during peri-implant wound healing: Provided by intravital imaging.

Surface topography drives the success of orthopedic and dental implants placed in bone, by directing the biology occurring at the tissue-implant interface. Over the last few decades, striking advancements have been made in the development of novel implant surfaces that enhance bone anchorage to their surfaces through contact osteogenesis: the combination of the two phenomena of recruitment and migration of mesenchymal progenitor cells to the implant surface, and their differentiation into bone-forming cells. While the latter is generally understood, the mechanisms and dynamics underlying the migration and recruitment of such progenitor cells into the wound site have garnered little attention. To address this deficit, we surgically inserted metallic implants with two different surface topographies into the skulls of mice, and then employed real-time spatiotemporal microscopic monitoring of the peri-implant tissue healing to track the ingress of cells. Our results show that nano-topographically complex, in comparison to relatively smooth, implant surfaces profoundly affect recruitment of both endothelial cells, which are essential for angiogenesis, and the mesenchymal progenitor cells that give rise to the reparative tissue stroma. The latter appear concomitantly in the wound site with endothelial cells, from the vascularized areas of the periosteum, and demonstrate a proliferative "bloom" that diminishes with time, although some of these cells differentiate into important stromal cells, pericytes and osteocytes, of the reparative wound. In separate experiments we show, using trajectory plots, that the directionality of migration for both endothelial and perivascular cells can be explained by implant surface dependent release of local cytokine gradients from platelets that would become activated on the implant surfaces during initial blood contact. These findings provide new biological insights into the earliest stages of wound healing, and have broad implications in the application of putative nano-topographically complex biomaterials in many tissue types.

Effects of Conditioned Medium from Bone Marrow Cells on Human Umbilical Cord Perivascular Cells.

Mesenchymal cells derived from human umbilical cord tissue are attracting increasing attention as a source for cell therapy. However, for applying the same in tissue engineering, it has been shown that the differentiation capacity of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) is influenced by the tissue from which the cells are harvested. Thus, to explore the possibility of increasing the osteogenic capacity of MSCs derived from the perivascular tissue of the human umbilical cord (human umbilical cord perivascular cells, HUCPVCs), we cultured these cells using conditioned medium (CM) derived from cultures of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hBMMSCs). However, hBM-CM contains a wide variety of growth factors, the amounts and ratios of which are considered to vary with the cell culture stage. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the effects of hBM-CM derived from different stages of hBMMSC culture on the osteogenic capacity of HUCPVCs. The stages of hBMMSC culture were defined as follows: Stage 1 (mitogenic stage) represented the period from the start of hBMMSC culture to 70% cell confluence; Stage 2 (confluent stage) represented the period from 70% confluence to the initiation of calcified nodule formation; and Stage 3 (calcification stage) represented the period following the initiation of calcified nodule formation. An analysis of growth factors contained in the CM obtained at each stage by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) was significantly elevated at Stage 2, whereas vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was significantly elevated at Stage 3. HUCPVCs were cultured using the CM from each of the stages for 1, 2, or 3 weeks. RUNX2 expression was the most upregulated at week 1 and then downregulated in all the groups. The expression of collagen 1 was significantly elevated in Stage 2 HUCs at week 3. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, ALP, and alizarin staining were higher in Stage 2 HUCs and Stage 3 HUCs. The calcium content was the highest in Stage 2 HUCs. The calcium content of HUCPVC obtained by the method used in this study was six times higher than that reported in the previous study. Collectively, our results show that the CM obtained at Stage 2 was most effective in driving the osteogenic differentiation of HUCPVCs. Impact Statement Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) derived from the perivascular tissue of umbilical cords are promising candidates for regenerative medicine. Because these are able to be differentiated into bone cells, cartilage cells, and adipocytes. The number of MSCs in perivascular tissue (HUCPVCs) is ∼1/300 but the number of HUCPVCs that differentiates into osteogenic cells is quite low. In order to promote osteogenic differentiation of HUCPVCs, we cultured HUCPVCs using conditioned medium collected from human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells. Our study suggests that the use of conditioned medium can be effective on inducing osteogenic differentiation of HUCPVCs.

The influence of implant design on the kinetics of osseointegration and bone anchorage homeostasis.

Titanium implants have shown considerable success in terms of achieving quick and long-lasting stability in bone through the process of osseointegration. Further work aims to improve implant success rates by modifying implant design on the nano-, micro-, and macro- scales with the goal of achieving higher levels of bone anchorage more quickly. However, the most frequently used methods of analysis do not investigate bone anchorage as a whole but as a series of discrete points, potentially missing relevant insight which could inform the effects of topography on these 3 scale ranges. Herein we utilize an asymptotic curve fitting method to obtain a biologically relevant description of reverse torque data and compare the anchorage of 12 different implant groups. Implant surface topography had a significant effect on the rate and degree of anchorage achieved during the initial bone formation period of osseointegration but was not found to influence the relative change in anchorage during bony remodeling. Threaded implants significantly decreased the time required to reach peak anchorage compared to non-threaded implants and implants with micro-topographically complex surfaces required greater torque to be removed than implants without such features. Nanotopography increased overall anchorage and decreased the time required to reach peak anchorage but to a lesser degree than microtopography or macrogeometry respectively. The curve fitting method utilized in the present study allows for a more integrated analysis of bone anchorage and permits investigation of osseointegration with respect to time, which may lead to a more targeted approach to implant design.

Mesenchymal stromal cells and their derivatives - putative therapeutics in the management of autoimmune pancreatitis.

Autoimmune pancreatitis, a derivative of chronic pancreatitis, frequently causes acute episodes with clinical symptoms parallel to those of acute pancreatitis. Corticosteroids are effective in the treatment of 90% of autoimmune pancreatitis cases, but for the remaining 10%, options are limited. Due to their significant immunomodulatory capabilities, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been proposed as a novel treatment strategy for various immune and inflammatory pathologies including those with autoimmune origins. Here, we not only highlight the most recent MSC live-cell experiments to address acute pancreatitis, but also discuss the opportunities afforded by the emergence of the newly identified field of MSC necrobiology. We conclude that the putative employment of MSC derivatives provides a newer and simpler therapeutic approach that could have significant advantages over the use of cells themselves.

Hyperglycemia compromises Rat Cortical Bone by Increasing Osteocyte Lacunar Density and Decreasing Vascular Canal Volume.

Uncontrolled diabetes is associated with increased risk of bony fractures. However, the mechanisms have yet to be understood. Using high-resolution synchrotron micro-CT, we calculated the changes in the microstructure of femoral cortices of streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic (STZ) Wistar Albino rats and tested the mechanical properties of the mineralized matrix by nanoindentation. Total lacunar volume of femoral cortices increased in STZ group due to a 9% increase in lacunar density. However, total vascular canal volume decreased in STZ group due to a remarkable decrease in vascular canal diameter (7 ± 0.3 vs. 8.5 ± 0.4 µm). Osteocytic territorial matrix volume was less in the STZ group (14,908 ± 689 µm3) compared with healthy controls (16,367 ± 391 µm3). In conclusion, hyperglycemia increased cellularity and lacunar density, decreased osteocyte territorial matrix, and reduced vascular girth, in addition to decreasing matrix mechanical properties in the STZ group when compared with euglycemic controls.

Relative contributions of implant hydrophilicity and nanotopography to implant anchorage in bone at Early Time Points.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the contributions of implant hydrophilicity and nanotopography on anchorage in bone. The effect of elevated calcium surface chemistry on bone anchorage was also investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A full factorial study design was implemented to evaluate the effects of ultraviolet (UV) light and/or sodium lactate (SL) and discrete crystalline deposition of nanocrystals (DCD) treatments on the osseointegration of dual acid-etched (AE) titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) and grit blasted and AE (BAE) commercially pure titanium (CpTi) implants. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH)-treated CpTi implants were immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) to increase calcium surface chemistry. Implants were placed in the femora of Wistar rats and tested using pull-out testing (BAE implants: 5, 9, 14 days) or tensile testing (AE implants: 9 days, NaOH implants: 28 days). RESULTS: Ti6Al4V-AE implants with DCD- and UV-treated surfaces significantly increased bone anchorage compared with untreated Ti6Al4V-AE alloy implants. Pull-out testing of BAE-CpTi implants with the DCD treatment showed increased disruption force values compared with surfaces without the DCD treatment at 5, 9 and 14 days by 4.1N, 13.9N and 15.5N, respectively, and UV-treated implants showed an increase at 14 days by 8.4N. No difference was found between NaOH + SBF and NaOH + H2 O groups. CONCLUSIONS: Bone anchorage of implants was found to be improved by UV-treating implants or nanotopographically complex surfaces. However, implant nanotopography was found to have a greater contribution to the overall bone anchorage and is more consistent compared with the time-dependent nature of the UV treatment.

Concise review: The challenges and opportunities of employing mesenchymal stromal cells in the treatment of acute pancreatitis.

To date only small animal models have been employed to assess the effect of mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) therapy on acute pancreatitis (AP), the most common cause of hospitalization for gastrointestinal diseases worldwide. We outline the challenges inherent in the small animal models of AP. We also point to specific benefits afforded by the adoption of larger animal models. The potential for MSC therapeutics in the treatment of AP was recognized over a decade ago. With sharper focus on the form of AP and development of new MSC delivery routes in larger animals, we believe the challenge can be engaged.

Mesenchymal stromal cell therapy during ex vivo lung perfusion ameliorates ischemia-reperfusion injury in lung transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The application of mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-based therapy during ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) could repair injured donor lungs before transplantation. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of MSC therapy performed during EVLP on ischemia-reperfusion injury using a pig lung transplant model. METHODS: Following 24 hours of cold storage, pig lungs were randomly assigned to 2 groups (n = 6 each), the control group without MSC vs the MSC group, where 5 × 106 cells/kg MSCs were delivered through the pulmonary artery during EVLP. After 12 hours of EVLP, followed by a 1-hour second cold preservation period, the left lung was transplanted and reperfused for 4 hours. RESULTS: EVLP perfusate hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) level at 12 hours was significantly elevated in the MSC group compared with the control and was associated with a significant decrease in cell death markers, cleaved caspase-3 and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling-positive cells, in the MSC group. The MSC group showed significantly lower interleukin (IL)-18 and interferon gamma levels and a significantly higher IL-4 level in lung tissue at 12 hours of EVLP than the control group. After transplantation, the MSC group showed a significant increase in lung tissue HGF level compared with the control group, associated with a significantly reduced lung tissue wet-to-dry weight ratio. Lung tissue tumor necrosis factor-α level and pathological acute lung injury score were significantly lower in the MSC group than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The administration of MSCs ameliorated ischemic injury in donor lungs during EVLP and attenuated the subsequent ischemia-reperfusion injury after transplantation.

Concise Review: Skeletal Muscle as a Delivery Route for Mesenchymal Stromal Cells.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have demonstrated extensive capacity to modulate a catabolic microenvironment toward tissue repair. The fate, biodistribution, and dwell time of the in vivo delivered MSCs largely depend on the choice of the cell delivery route. Intramuscular (IM) delivery of MSCs is clinically safe and has been used for the effective treatment of local pathologies. Recent findings have shown that the secretome of the IM-delivered MSCs enters the circulation and provides systemic effects on distant organs. In addition, muscle tissue provides a safe residence for the delivered MSCs and an extended secretorily active dwell time compared with other delivery routes. There are, however, controversies concerning the fate of MSCs post IM-delivery and, specifically, into an injured site with proinflammatory cues. This review seeks to provide a brief overview of the fate and efficacy of IM-delivered MSCs and to identify the gaps that require further assessment for adoption of this promising route in the treatment of systemic disease. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2019;8:456-465.

A "best fit" approach for synergistic surface parameters to guide the design of candidate implant surfaces.

Human bone resorption surfaces can provide a template for endosseous implant surface design. We characterized the topography of such sites using four synergistic parameters (fractal dimension, lacunarity, porosity, and surface roughness) and compared the generated values with those obtained from two groups of candidate titanium implant surfaces. For the first group (n = 5/group): grit-blasted acid etched (BAE), BAE with either discrete calcium phosphate crystal deposition or nanotube formation, machined titanium with nanotubes, or a nanofiber surface; each measured synergistic parameter was statistically compared with that of the resorbed bone surface and scored for inclusion in a "best fit" analysis. The analysis informed changes that could be made to a candidate implant surface to render it a closer "best fit" to that of the resorbed bone surface. In a second group of either titanium or titanium alloy implants their micro-topography, created by dual acid etching, was the same for each material substrate; but their nanotopographic complexity was changed by varying the degree of calcium phosphate crystalline deposits. These implants were also used in vivo where bone anchorage was tested using a tensile disruption test; and the "best fit" of synergistic parameters coincided with the best biological outcome for both titanium and titanium alloy implants. In conclusion, the four chosen synergistic parameters can be used to guide the sub-micron surface design of candidate implants, and our "best fit" approach is capable of identifying the surfaces with the best biological outcomes. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 107B: 2165-2177, 2019.

Intravital Imaging for Tracking of Angiogenesis and Cellular Events Around Surgical Bone Implants.

IMPACT STATEMENT: These new experimental methods allow us to image, and quantify, angiogenesis and perivascular cell dynamics in the endosseous healing compartment. As such, the method is capable of providing a new perspective on, and unique information regarding, healing that occurs around orthopedic and dental implants.

Nanosurfaces modulate the mechanism of peri-implant endosseous healing by regulating neovascular morphogenesis.

Nanosurfaces have improved clinical osseointegration by increasing bone/implant contact. Neovascularization is considered an essential prerequisite to osteogenesis, but no previous reports to our knowledge have examined the effect of surface topography on the spatio-temporal pattern of neovascularization during peri-implant healing. We have developed a cranial window model to study peri-implant healing intravitally over clinically relevant time scales as a function of implant topography. Quantitative intravital confocal imaging reveals that changing the topography (but not chemical composition) of an implant profoundly affects the pattern of peri-implant neovascularization. New vessels develop proximal to the implant and the vascular network matures sooner in the presence of an implant nanosurface. Accelerated angiogenesis can lead to earlier osseointegration through the delivery of osteogenic precursors to, and direct formation of bone on, the implant surface. This study highlights a critical aspect of peri-implant healing, but also informs the biological rationale for the surface design of putative endosseous implant materials.

Human Umbilical Cord Perivascular Cells and Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Transplanted Intramuscularly Respond to a Distant Source of Inflammation.

Intravenously administered mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are rapidly entrapped in the lungs, where they display an anti-inflammatory phenotype. Intramuscular (IM) delivery provides an increased MSC dwell-time, which could result in a sustained modulation of an inflammatory milieu. We studied the therapeutic effects of IM delivered MSCs to treat a distant (contralateral) inflammation, and compared the efficacy of neonatal (umbilical cord) and adult bone marrow MSCs (BMMSCs). Inflammation decreased over 48 h, but neonatal cells showed an earlier response than BMMSCs. Tumor necrosis factor-induced gene-6 (TSG-6) was released at the site of MSC delivery, while neutrophil infiltration was abrogated and inflammation reduced at the contralateral site. MSCs did not distribute to the organs or to the site of inflammation. Thus, IM delivery presents a promising alternative for the treatment of inflammation, and neonatal MSCs may represent a stronger candidate than those derived from adult BM to treat inflammatory diseases.

Effect of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Dose and Exposure Time on Tumor Necrosis Factor-Induced Gene-6 Activation by Neonatal and Adult Mesenchymal Stromal Cells.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) induced protein 6 is a major anti-inflammatory mediator released by activated mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Neonatal MSCs are considered more metabolically active than cells derived from adult tissues, and potentially less heterogeneous. We hypothesized that a TNF-α-activated neonatal MSC population [human umbilical cord perivascular cells (HUCPVCs)] would show an enhanced level of TSG-6 activation compared with adult bone marrow MSCs (BMMSCs). Thus, we stimulated HUCPVCs, and both human BMMSCs (hBMMSCs) and mouse BMMSCs (mBMMSCs) with 1, 10, 50, and 100 ng/mL of recombinant TNF-α over various exposure times. Supernatant, and total RNA, of the cells were collected for measurement of both TSG-6 RNA expression, and secreted TSG-6 protein. To compare gene levels, quantification was done by normalizing the expression levels of TSG-6 to the geometric mean of the three most stable reference genes, out of a cohort of 30 tested genes, using the Pfaffl method. We found that HUCPVCs exhibited both an enhanced and more rapid response to low dose (1 ng/mL) TNF-α exposure resulting in ∼11.5-fold increase in TSG-6 expression within the first 30 min. In contrast, hBMMSCs showed 2-fold increase by 1 h that increased to 9.5-fold with a higher (50 ng/mL) TNF-α exposure for the same time. mBMMSCs showed a two-fold increase after 24 h that was independent of TNF-α concentration. Thus, although TSG-6 expression level varied among donors, both hMSC populations exhibited enhanced TSG-6 upregulation, upon TNF-α stimulation, compared with mBMMSCs. In conclusion, HUCPVCs showed higher sensitivity, and a prompter response to TNF-α stimulation compared with hBMMSCs. Thus, neonatal MSCs may be a stronger candidate population than those derived from adult bone marrow to treat inflammatory diseases.