Zinc enhances the cell adhesion, migration, and self-renewal potential of human umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells

Figure 5 Effect of ZnCl₂ on the migration potential of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells. A: Microscopic examination of human umbilical cord (hUC)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) immediately after the scratch was given, i.e., 0 h, and after 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h, and 24 h. MSCs of the test group (20 µM ZnCl₂) exhibited faster migration as compared to control at all time points up to 8 h, and the scratch was completely healed after 24 h in both groups; B: Percentage of the area of scratch healed at time points, i.e., 0 min, 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h, and 24 h, analyzed by independent sample t-test. MSCs exhibited a significantly (^bP ≤ 0.01) increased migration (Percent) in the test group (20 µM ZnCl₂). C: Gene expression analysis of migration factors CXCR-4, V-CAM 1, VEGF-A, and MMP2, after 12, 24, 48, and 72 h of 20 µM ZnCl₂ treatment. CRCR-4 exhibited significantly increased expression after 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h of treatment. V-CAM1, and VEGF-A showed significantly higher expression after 48 and 72 h of treatment. MMP2 showed enhanced expression after 24 and 72 h. Results were analyzed by independent sample t-Test. Data was analyzed as mean ± SD (n = 3) where significance level ^aP ≤ 0.05 (^aP ≤ 0.05, ^bP ≤ 0.01, ^cP ≤ 0.001).