Comparative effect of goat and fetal bovine serum on goat muscle stem cell proliferation in vitro.

Culturing stem cells in species-specific serum ensures physiological relevance, reduces variability, and supports safer clinical use, highlighting the urgent need to develop reliable, species-matched systems for research and therapy. To address the concept of species specificity in cell culture, we investigated the effects of goat serum (GS) on the derivation of goat muscle stem cells (MuSCs). First, MuSCs were isolated from goat muscle tissue and cultured in media supplemented with either 10% goat GS or fetal bovine serum (FBS). Next, the isolated cells underwent characterization and differentiation. Finally, the effects of varying concentrations of GS and FBS on cell proliferation were evaluated. The results demonstrated that goat MuSCs grew in a GS-containing medium and were positively immunostained for CD29 and Pax7. Gene expression analysis revealed no significant differences in the expression of Pax7, MyoD, and MyoG genes between goat MuSCs grown in GS- or FBS-containing medium. Cells grown in GS-containing medium showed more efficient differentiation toward myogenic and adipogenic lineages than those grown in FBS. Supplementing the culture medium with 10% GS resulted in the greatest enhancement of goat MuSC proliferation, as evidenced by the MTT assay, increased Ki67 expression, and a higher number of colony-forming units. This study demonstrated that GS supplementation is notably beneficial for the proliferation of goat MuSCs.