Isolation of amniotic mesenchymal stem cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the ability to differentiate into osteocytes, chondrocytes, and adipocytes and possess immunomodulatory properties. Amniotic membrane from human term placenta is a potential source of multipotent MSCs that could be useful for regenerative medicine. This unit describes a detailed and simple protocol for the isolation of amniotic mesenchymal cells. We also introduce a simple density separation technique for the purification of this cell type from possible contamination with amniotic epithelial cells.