Figure 1

Morphology of foreskin-derived cells of the epidermal layer during culture in specialized hEMSCPC media.

(A): When cells from adult foreskin epidermis were cultured in vitro for 7–10 days, small fusiform cells appeared (P0 7d), while other cell types almost completely disappeared. With prolonged incubation, these small fusiform cells continued to increased in number (P0 12d and P0 15d). (B): Before passage 10, most cells were short and spindle-shaped (P2 2d). Within the first 30 passages, cells generally formed a single layer within 1.5–3 days after replating (P2 3d). (C–E): After passage 10, most cells had short spindle or regular spindle morphologies, with two to three processes projecting from the soma (C, round figure on the left, see arrow), while a minority had multiple processes (C, round figure on the right, see arrow). In some specimens, most of the hEMSCPCs had short processes, while only a minority had long and slim processes (D, round figure on the left, see arrow). In other specimens, however, most of the hEMSCPCs had long and slim processes. (F): When hEMSCPCs formed a monolayer, they took on a swirling arrangement resembling that of mesenchymal stem cells.