Chemokine Profile of Human Serum from Whole Blood: Migratory Effects of CXCL-10 and CXCL-11 on Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Autologous human serum is used in cartilage repair and may exert its effect by the recruitment of mesenchymal stem and progenitor cells (MSC). Aim of our study was to analyze the chemokine profile of human serum and to verify chemotactic activity of selected chemokines on MSC. Human MSC were isolated from iliac crest bone marrow aspirates. Chemotactic activity of human serum made from whole blood and pharma grade serum was tested in 96-well chemotaxis assays and chemokine levels were analyzed using human chemokine antibody membrane arrays. The chemotactic potential of selected chemokines on MSC was tested dose dependently using chemotaxis assays. Human serum derived from whole blood significantly attracted human MSC, while pharma grade serum did not recruit MSC. Human chemokine antibody array analysis showed that the level of chemokines CXCL-3, 5, 7-8, 10-12, 16; CCL- 2, 5, 11, 13, 16-20, 24-25, 27; as well as XCL-1 was elevated (fold change > 1.5) in serum derived from whole blood compared to nonrecruiting pharma grade serum. Chemotaxis assays showed that the chemokines IP-10/CXCL-10 and I-TAC/CXCL-11 significantly recruit human MSC. PARC/CCL-18, HCC-4/CCL-16, CTACK/CCL-27, and Lymphotactin/XCL-1 showed no chemotactic effect on MSC. Therefore, human serum derived from whole blood contains chemokines that may contribute to serum-mediated recruitment of human mesenchymal progenitors from bone marrow.