Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) Isolation from Umbilical Cord Blood
Umbilical cord blood for 21 day pregnant mice was collected from consenting donors after full-term deliveries. The mononuclear cell fraction was isolated by density gradient centrifugation using Ficoll-Paque™ Plus (GE Healthcare, USA). The obtained cells were cultured in T-75 flasks with low-glucose Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM, Gibco, USA) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS, Gibco, USA) and 1% penicillin-streptomycin (Gibco, USA). Cultures were maintained in a humidified atmosphere at 37°C with 5% CO2. Cells were passaged at 80–90% confluence using TrypLE™ Express (Gibco, USA) [9].
Validation of MSCs by Flow Cytometry Surface Marker Analysis
Passage 3 MSCs were harvested, counted, and resuspended in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) supplemented with 2% FBS. The cells were incubated with anti-human CD73, CD90, CD105, CD34, CD45, and HLA-DR antibodies (BD Biosciences, USA) for 30 minutes at 4°C. After washing, cells were analyzed using a flow cytometer (BD Accuri™ C6, BD Biosciences, USA).
Validation of MSCs by Adipogenic and Osteogenic Staining
For adipogenic differentiation, passage 4 MSCs were cultured in adipogenic induction medium (Gibco, USA) for 21 days, followed by Oil Red O staining to visualize lipid droplets. For osteogenic differentiation, cells were cultured in osteogenic induction medium (Gibco, USA) for 21 days, followed by Alizarin Red staining to detect calcium deposits .
Induction of Hypoxia in MSCs
Passage 5 MSCs were subjected to hypoxia (5% O2) using a hypoxia chamber (STEMCELL Technologies, Canada) for 24 hours. Control cells were maintained under normoxic conditions (21% O2) [10].
PCOS Animal Model Induction
Adult female C57BL/6 mice were used. PCOS was induced by subcutaneous injection of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA, Sigma-Aldrich, USA) dissolved in sesame oil (6mg/100g body weight) daily for 30 days [11].
Testosterone Quantification by ELISA
Serum testosterone levels were measured using a commercially available mouse testosterone ELISA kit (Enzo Life Sciences, USA) following the manufacturer's instructions. Briefly, standards, controls, and serum samples were added to a microplate pre-coated with a testosterone-specific antibody. After incubation and washing steps, a testosterone-horseradish peroxidase (HRP) conjugate was added, followed by substrate solution. The reaction was stopped, and absorbance was read at 450 nm using a microplate reader (BioTek, USA). Testosterone concentrations were determined based on a standard curve.
Validation of PCOS by Estrus Cycle Analysis in HE Staining
After blood collection on day 23, mice were sacrificed, and ovaries were carefully excised, fixed in 10% formalin, and embedded in paraffin for histological analysis. Paraffin-embedded ovarian sections (5 µm thick) were deparaffinized, rehydrated, and stained with hematoxylin for 5 minutes. After rinsing, sections were counterstained with eosin for 1 minute. Slides were dehydrated and coverslipped. HE-stained sections were examined under a light microscope (Olympus BX53, Japan) by a blinded observer. Estrus cycle phases (proestrus, estrus, metestrus, and diestrus) were determined based on morphological characteristics of ovarian structures, vaginal epithelium, and leukocyte infiltration.
MHSSCs administration on PCOS animal model
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) injections were continued subcutaneously until day 30 to prevent ovarian self-recovery. Simultaneously, MHSSCs were administered from day 23 to day 30, with doses of 200 µL (T1) and 400 µL (T2) given intraperitoneally on days 23, 25, 28, and 30. The negative control group received NaCl treatment. From day 27 to 32, cytological examinations were performed to determine the estrus cycle. On day 33, testosterone levels were assessed, PCR analysis was conducted, and ovarian samples from all groups were collected for histological preparations using paraffin embedding and Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining.
Analysis of IL-10 and STAT3 Gene Expression by qRT-PCR
Ovarian tissues were harvested, homogenized, and total RNA was extracted using TRIzol™ Reagent (Invitrogen, USA). cDNA synthesis was performed using SuperScript™ IV Reverse Transcriptase (Invitrogen, USA). qRT-PCR was conducted using PowerUp™ SYBR™ Green Master Mix (Applied Biosystems, USA) on a QuantStudio™ 3 Real-Time PCR System (Applied Biosystems, USA). Primers for IL-10, STAT3, and housekeeping gene (β-actin) were designed and validated (sequences available upon request). Relative gene expression was calculated using the ΔΔCt method [12, 13].
Statistical Analysis
The normality of the data distributions will be assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test and The homogeneity of variances will be examined using the Levene's test. A p-value greater than 0.05 will indicate that the data is normally distributed and homogeneity of variances. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) will be employed for comparing means across multiple groups, p < 0.05 indicated the significant differences among the treatment groups. The statistical analysis was analysed under SPPS 26 version.