Our laboratory has recently characterized a population of cells from adipose tissue, termed processed lipoaspirate (PLA) cells, which have multi-lineage potential similar to bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). This study is the first comparison of PLA cells and MSCs isolated from the same patient. No significant differences were observed for yield of adherent stromal cells, growth kinetics, cell senescence, multi-lineage differentiation capacity, and gene transduction efficiency. Adipose tissue is an abundant and easily procured source of PLA cells, which have a potential like MSCs for use in tissue-engineering applications and as gene delivery vehicles.

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Human processed lipoaspirate (PLA) cells are multipotent stem cells, capable of differentiating into multiple mesenchymal lineages (bone, cartilage, fat, and muscle). To date, differentiation to nonmesodermal fates has not been reported. This study demonstrates that PLA cells can be induced to differentiate into early neural progenitors, which are of an ectodermal origin. Undifferentiated cultures of human PLA cells expressed markers characteristic of neural cells such as neuron-specific enolase (NSE), vimentin, and neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN). After 2 weeks of treatment of PLA cells with isobutylmethylxanthine, indomethacin, and insulin, about 20 to 25 percent of the cells differentiated into cells with typical neural morphologic characteristics, accompanied by increased expression of NSE, vimentin, and the nerve-growth factor receptor trk-A. However, induced PLA cells did not express the mature neuronal marker, MAP, or the mature astrocyte marker, GFAP. It was also found that neurally induced PLA cells displayed a delayed-rectifier type K+ current (an early developmental ion channel) concomitantly with morphologic changes and increased expression of neural-specific markers. The authors concluded that human PLA cells might have the potential to differentiate in vitro into cells that represent early progenitors of neurons and/or glia.