Differential Characterization of Two Kinds of Stem Cells Isolated from Rabbit Nucleus Pulposus and Annulus Fibrosus

Figure 1

The proliferation and colony formation of disc cells isolated from intervertebral discs of 3-month-old rabbits. (a) The gross appearance and the structure of rabbit intervertebral disc used for cell isolation. (b, c) Colony formation of the cells isolated from AF tissue samples (b) or NP tissue samples (c). (d, e) A typical colony formed by the cells isolated from AF tissue samples (d) or NP tissue samples (e) and stained with methyl violet. (f) Population doubling time of disc cells showed that the stem cells isolated from AF labeled as AFSCs grew much faster than those isolated from NP labeled as NPSCs. In addition, the fibroblasts derived from rabbit discs labeled as DFCs grew slower than both AFSCs and NPSCs. Bars: 500 μm. indicates statistical significance.