DIFFERENTIATION OF HUMAN OVARIAN FOLLICULAR GRANULOSA CELLS INTO KERATINOCYTES

Background & Aims: Stem cells are undifferentiated cells and are found in different tissues. These cells have capacity of self-renewal and differentiation into other lineages. Granulosa cells (GCs) are the multipotent stem cells. In the present research we evaluated the differentiation potential of GCs into keratinocytes. Material & Methods: GCs were cultured after enzymatic isolation from ovarian follicle. Then, keratinocyte inductive medium was added and expression of keratin10 and keratin14 were investigated with western blotting technique. Results: The results of the flow cytometric analysis of the isolated cells indicated the high expression of mesenchymal stem cell specific antigens (p < 0.05). Also, the results of the western blotting showed the expression of creatine 10 and creatine 14 proteins in all groups except for negative control (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Human granulosa cells have a very high ability to differentiate into keratinocytic cells, and with further research, it is possible to provide a suitable substrate for the use of human granulosa cells to treat severe skin lesions.