Comparative Analysis of Co-Cultured Amniotic Cell-Conditioned Media with Cell-Free Amniotic Fluid Reveals Differential Effects on Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Myofibroblast Activation.

Myofibroblast activation is a cellular response elicited by a variety of physiological or pathological insults whereby cells initiate a coordinated response intended to eradicate the insult and then revert back to a basal state. However, an underlying theme in various disease states is persistent myofibroblast activation that fails to resolve. Based on multiple observations, we hypothesized that the secreted factors harvested from co-culturing amniotic stem cells might mimic the anti-inflammatory state that cell-free amniotic fluid (AF) elicits.