Murine and Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Isolation

Using the plastic adherence method, MSCs were purified and expanded from bone marrow cells harvested from femurs of C57BL/6 mice in murine MesenCult medium with supplements (STEMCELL Technologies, Canada).^{4 (link),16 (link)} Non-adherent cells were removed every 48 h by changing the medium. Phenotypic and functional characterizations of MSCs, as set forth by “The International Society for Cellular Therapy,” were completed prior to use.^{17 (link)} Human bone marrow-derived MSCs (STEMCELL Technologies) were purchased and expanded using MesenCult™-ACF Plus Culture Kit (STEMCELL Technologies). MSCs from the second or third passage were used in the following experiments.