Electroporation is a safe and efficient method to transfect human tooth germ stem cells (hTGSCs), which are mainly mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In this study, pluronic F68 (PF68), a nonionic and low-foaming surfactant, was used for the first time to increase the transfection efficiency in electroporation of hTGSCs. | Turkish Journal of Biology Turk J Biol (2016) 40: 747-754 © TÜBİTAK doi: Research Article Pluronic PF68 increases transfection efficiency in electroporation of mesenchymal stem cells 1, 2, 3 1, Safa AYDIN *, Mehmet Emir YALVAÇ *, Ferruh ÖZCAN , Fikrettin ŞAHİN ** Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, College of Engineering and Architecture, Yeditepe University, İstanbul, Turkey 2 Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA 3 Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Gebze Technical University, Kocaeli, Turkey 1 Received: Accepted/Published Online: Final Version: Abstract: Electroporation is a safe and efficient method to transfect human tooth germ stem cells (hTGSCs), which are mainly mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In this study, pluronic F68 (PF68), a nonionic and low-foaming surfactant, was used for the first time to increase the transfection efficiency in electroporation of hTGSCs. Our results revealed that when PF68 was used in the preincubation, electroporation, and recovery medium, it dramatically increased transfection efficiency. Moreover, use of PF68 did not alter the differentiation capacity of hTGSCs, whereas cells electroporated without PF68 had significantly lower expression of Oct-4, pluripotency marker gene, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity upon osteogenic differentiation. We found that PF68 increases transfection efficiency in both electroporation and chemical transfection of cancer cells lines MCF-7 and HeLa. The study suggested that PF68 might be a safe and reliable chemical to use for increasing transfection efficiency during electroporation and chemical transfections. Key words: Stem cells, electroporation, transfection efficiency, pluronic PF68 1. Introduction Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are being investigated for their potential use in cell-based therapies and .
