ISOLATION, CULTURE AND DIFFERENTIATION OF WHARTON'S JELLY-DERIVED MULTIPOTENT MESENCHYMAL STROMAL CELLS OBTAINED FROM OVINE UMBILICAL CORD Antonella Idda(1), Anna Lange Consiglio(2), Fausto Cremonesi(2), Paola Esposti(2), Claudia Perrini(2), Mauro Ledda(2), Eraldo Sanna Passino(1), Sergio Ledda(1) (1) University of Sassari - Department of Veterinary Medicine, 07100 Sassari – Italy; (2) University of Milan - Large Animal Hospital, Reproduction Unit, 26900 Lodi, Milano – Italy. Introduction: Fetal adnexa are definitely an inexhaustible sources of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) that can be easily harvested at low cost. As in human medicine, also in veterinary field these tissues revealed itself as promising candidates for disease treatments due to their plasticity, low immunogenicity and anti-inflammatory potential. The isolation of ovine MSCs from fetal adnexa could be an interesting model to study the potential use of these cells for biotechnological applications. Aim: to isolate and culture, for the first time, MSCs from Wharton's jelly (WJ) in ovine and investigate their proliferative and differentiative potential. Results: Methods: Ovine WJ-derived cells showed a mean of 34.8±3.36 hours of DT with the lowest values between P4 and P8, as confirmed also by growth curves. The mean frequency of CFU-F was 1 colony every 178 plated cells. Conclusions: it is possible to assume that ovine WJ contains progenitor cells are able to differentiate into different cell lines, demonstrating multipotency. Nevertheless, their stemness markers are still object of investigation. Intensive proliferation and plasticity make WJ an attractive candidate as source of MSCs for possible applications in biotechnology and biomedical research. Osteogenic, adipogenic and neurogenic differentiations were confirmed respectively by Von Kossa, Red Oil O and Nissle stainings. This work was supported by legge 7, 2012, Regione Autonoma della Sardegna - RAS