Carcinogenesis, Teratogenesis & Mutagenesis ›› 2025, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (6): 473-477,482.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-616x.2025.06.008

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Impact of exercise training on primary yield and biological quality of urine-derived stem cells

XU Jiaqi, WANG Fenglong, SUN Zhenxiao   

  1. School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China
  • Received:2025-08-05 Revised:2025-09-16 Published:2025-12-06

Abstract: OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the impact of exercise training on primary yield and early biological quality of urine-derived stem cells (USCs) from a single volunteer and to determine feasibility of collecting samples at a fixed evening interval (20:00-21:00),thereby providing guidance for non-invasive and standardized USCs isolation. METHODS:A self-controlled design was adopted. Urine samples were collected from the same volunteer at four time points-early morning (6:00-7:00),forenoon (9:00-10:00),afternoon (14:00-15:00) and evening (20:00-21:00)-to compare primary clone-forming efficiency and identify the optimal sampling period. Within this period,the volunteer first maintained normal daily activity for 7 days (rest group) and then performed a standardized run (2.8 km in 16-18 min) daily for another 7 days (exercise group),with urine collected immediately post-exercise. USCs were isolated and cultured under identical protocols. Cellular morphology was assessed by morphological observation. Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay over 7 days to prepare growth curves. RT-qPCR was employed to measure mRNA levels of the pluripotency genes OCT4C-MYCSOX2 and NANOG,while Western blot was used to evaluate OCT4 and C-MYC protein expression. RESULTS:Evening collection (20:00-21:00) consistently yielded USC clones with the highest formation rate. Within this window,exercise-derived USCs displayed homogeneous morphology and lower senescence versus sedentary controls. The proliferation curve revealed a significantly higher D(570) on day 7 (P<0.01),indicating sustained proliferative capacity. OCT4 and C-MYC mRNA levels were up-regulated (P<0.05 and P<0.01,respectively),whereas SOX2 and NANOG mRNA levels remained unchanged (P>0.05). Consistently,OCT4 and C-MYC protein expression were markedly elevated (P<0.01). CONCLUSION:Evening urine collection (20:00-21:00) combined with exercise training significantly improved USC extraction efficiency and enhanced their early biological characteristics,offering a simple and feasible strategy for subsequent scalable expansion and clinical translation.

Key words: urine-derived stem cells, exercise training, primary culture, sampling time, cell proliferation, stemness maintenance

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