Another face Of DMSO: Effects of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on the pluripotency and differentiation capacity of mouse embryonic stem cells

Abstract Background Mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) go through self-renewal in the existence of the cytokine leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). LIF is add to the mouse stem cells culture medium, and its removal results in fast differentiation. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is one of the most general used solvents in drug test. Methods We exposed 4-day mESC cultures to different concentrations of DMSO (0.1%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.0%) to identify the safest dose exhibiting efficacy as a solvent. mESCs grown under general pluripotency conditions in the absence of LIF were treated with DMSO. In addition, as a control for differentiation, mESCs were grown absence of LIF.Results DMSO downregulated the mRNA expression level of pluripotency markers. Moreover, DMSO reduced the mRNA expression levels of ectodermal marker (β-tubulin3) and a mesodermal marker (Hand1) and endodermal markers (Foxa2 and Sox17) in mESCs. These results indicate that DMSO treatment enhances the pluripotency and disrupts the differentiation of mESCs. We also show that members of the Tet oncogene family are critical to inhibiting the differentiation and methylation of mESCs. Conclusion DMSO is appropriate to sustain the pluripotency of mESCs in the absence of LIF, and that mESCs can be sustained in an undifferentiated state using DMSO. Therefore, DMSO may, in part, function as a substitute for LIF.