Bromoindirubin-3-Oxime treatment enhances the in vitro proliferation and viability of rat marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Introduction: Previous investigations have indicated that the presence of BIO (6-Bromoindirubin-3-Oxime) in the culture medium of some cell types enhances both cell proliferation and viability. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of BIO on rat marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) expansion in culture. Methods: In the present experimental study, bone marrow cells from 7 rats were plated in the presence of 0.05, 0.01, 0.1, 1 and 1.5 mu M of BIO and expanded through 3 successive subcultures. During the cultivation period, the cultures were statistically compared in terms of indices of cell growth including the diameter and number of colonies, population doubling number (PDN) and the number of viable cells. Passaged-3 cells from all groups were examined for their differentiation capacity into bone and adipose cells. Results: According to our results, the largest colonies were formed in the cultures with 0.1 and 1 mu m BIO with diameters of 1262.27 +/- 43.96 and 1335.71 +/- 19.16 micrometer, respectively (P< 0.05). These 2 groups were also superior over other experimental and control groups in terms of colonies numbers. During 3 successive passages, significantly more PDN was occurred in 0.1 and 1 mu M BIO-treated cultures compared with other experimental and control groups (P< 0.05). Additionally, in these two BIO-treated cultures, the number of viable cells was significantly higher than that in other BIO-treated cultures as well as the control group (P< 0.05). Alizarin red staining for bone and oil red for adipose cells indicated that the cells from all studied groups maintained the differentiation potential into bone and adipose cells. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the presence of BIO in marrow cell cultures enhances the in vitro cell expansion and viability.