Wharton's jelly (Latin:substantia gelatinea funiculi umbilicalis) is a gelatinous substance within theumbilical cord,[1] largely made up ofmucopolysaccharides (hyaluronic acid andchondroitin sulfate). It acts as amucous connective tissue containing somefibroblasts andmacrophages, and is derived from extra-embryonicmesoderm of theconnecting stalk.
As amucous connective tissue, it is rich inproteoglycans, and protects and insulatesumbilical blood vessels.[2] Wharton's jelly, when exposed to temperature changes, collapses structures within the umbilical cord and thus provides a physiological clamping of the cord, typically three minutes after birth.
Cells in Wharton's jelly express severalstem cell genes, includingtelomerase. They can be extracted, cultured, and induced to differentiate into mature cell types such asneurons.[3] Wharton's jelly is therefore a potential source ofadult stem cells, often collected fromcord blood.[3]
It is named for the English physician and anatomistThomas Wharton (1614–1673) who first described it in his publicationAdenographia, or "The Description of the Glands of the Entire Body", first published in 1656.[4]
After obtaining the umbilical cord from the donor, it is transported to the laboratory in a cold and sterile environment using a transfer buffer that containsphosphate buffered saline (PBS). Subsequently, the vessels should be eliminated from the umbilical cord tissue on a sterile plate with the aid ofautoclaved scissors. The sections of the umbilical cord tissue that are devoid of arteries should then be fragmented into smaller fragments. These tissue fragments are subsequently placed in a sterile cell culture plate or cell culture flask, and thecell culture medium (enriched withfetal bovine serum andantibiotics) is added. Lastly, the flask containing the tissue fragments is placed in a CO2incubator for a duration of 1-2 weeks. This process ultimately leads to the proliferation and migration ofstem cells from the Wharton's jelly into the plate or flask.[5]
A 2024 editorial described adirect-to-consumer marketing email from a company in Arizona advertising a "3 for 1" sale on Exosomes or Whartons Jelly. The email stated that the products are "manufactured in an FDA-registered,cGMP compliant,ISO certified lab", but did not mention that such birth products can be used only in a registeredclinical trial, according to a directive from the United StatesFood and Drug Administration on May 31, 2021.[6]
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