Fig. 9

Influence of heparin and heparin-free hPL-supplemented media on myogenic potential of hMuStem cells. hMuStem cells^HS cultured for 6 days in HS-GM or hPL-GM in absence or presence of increasing doses of heparin (0.5–5 IU/ml), or in heparin-free hPL alternatives, and then seeded for evaluation using myogenic differentiation assay. a Immunolabeling of sMyHC performed after 4 days in myogenic differentiation medium DM. Nuclei counterstained with DRAQ5 (blue). Scale bar, 100 μm. Fusion index (FI) determined in (b) three independent cell batches cultured with HS or hPL in presence of increasing doses of heparin, or in (c) heparin-free hPL alternatives; heparin-free hPL that was allowed to form a nutritive gel over the cell layer (hPL^gel), or heparin-free fibrinogen-depleted hPL (hPL^fd). Data presented as mean ± SEM (^bp < 0.01, ^cp < 0.001 versus HS-GM; ***p < 0.001; LME model followed by Tukey’s post-hoc test). HS human serum, hPL human platelet lysate, GM growth medium, sMyHC sarcomeric myosin heavy chain