Abstract: Endometrial mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (eMSCs) contribute toward the maintenance and repair of uterine tissue after each menstrual cycle. These eMSCs (CD140b+CD146+ cells) have the ability to self-renewal and undergo multi-directional differentiation. Characteristics of endometrial stem cells has opened new avenues for therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine. However, the limited availability of eMSCs and the challenges in maintaining their stemness in vitro have restricted its therapeutic potentials. In this study, the extracellular matrix communication on eMSCs’ response was investigated. Cell-derived extracellular matrices (CD-ECMs) are formed through the secretion and assembly of extracellular matrix (ECM) components by cells, which is vital in controlling the survival, growth and differentiation of the cells. Here, eMSCs were cultured on CD-ECM derived from endometrial stromal cell line (T-HESCs) or eMSCs for 7 days. The proliferation and phenotypic expression of cell surface markers were assessed. Both CD-ECM derived from T-HESCs and eMSCs did not alter the proliferation activity of eMSCs when compared to the control group (n=6). While, a decrease in stem cell markers was observed when the eMSCs were cultured on T-HESCs CD-ECM (P < 0.05 to control group) but no changes were detected when cultured on eMSC CD-ECM (n=5). These preliminary findings suggest the different components in CD-ECMs provide certain bioactivities for specific applications. The exploration of an in vitro method offers valuable insights to select appropriate ECM-producing cell types for proliferation and differentiation of eMSCs.
