Adipose Tissue-Derived Stem Cells and Their Application in Bone and Cartilage Tissue Engineering

Abstract

The adipose tissue was considered a reserve of energy until the '80s, when it was found that this tissue was involved in the metabolism of sex steroids such as estrogens. From then on, the importance attributed to this tissue radically changed as it was then considered an active organ, involved in important functions of the human body. In 2001, for the first time, the existence of stem cells within this tissue was reported, and since then, this tissue has been gaining an increased importance as a stem cell source for a wide range of potential applications in cell therapies and/or tissue engineering and regenerative medicine strategies, mainly due to its wide availability and easy access. This manuscript provides an overview on adipose stem cells (i.e., adipose tissue-derived stem cells, ASCs) considering the tissue of origin, the niche of the ASCs, and their phenotype in all aspects. In this paper it is also discussed the markers that have been used for the characterization of these cells, their differentiation properties, and their immunological reactivity, reporting studies from 2001 until this date. The ASCs are also compared with bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs), until now considered as the gold standard source of stem cells, underlining the common characteristics and the differences between the stem cells obtained from these two sources, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of their potential use in different applications. Finally, this review will also focus on the potential application of ASCs in tissue engineering applications, particularly in the regeneration of bone and cartilage, commenting on the progress of this approach and future trends of the field.

Adipose Tissue Derived Stem Cells Secretome: Soluble Factors and Their Roles in Regenerative Medicine

“…Since then, ASCs have been reported to be found within the different white and brown adipose tissue depots (WAT or BAT) present in the body [18]. The simple surgical procedure, the easy and repeatable access to adipose tissue, and the uncomplicatedbased isolation procedures make this source quite attractive for both research and/or biomedical applications [1] when compared, for instance, to BMSCs.…”

Adipose stem cells for bone tissue repair

“…When the starting material is obtained from liposuction procedures, the isolation is faster as a result of finely minced tissue fragments (65). Using whole tissue pieces as starting material, the tissue is minced manually (35). In our lab, after having obtained informed consent in accordance with the Institutional Review Board protocol, we have utilized the following practice: the adipose tissue biopsies are immediately placed in McCOY'S 5A medium supplemented with 22mM HEPES and 100 IU/ml penicillin, 100 μg/ml streptomycin, pH 7.4, and transported to the laboratory, with processing within 30 min of excision.…”

Cell therapy for bone fracture repair: A comparative preclinical review of mesenchymal stromal cells from bone marrow and from adipose tissue

“…Ad-MSC are isolated from lipoaspirates obtained during liposuction, lipoplasty or lipectomy procedures. The commonly applied preparation method implies enzymatic digestion with collagenase followed by centrifugation, washing and plating onto plastic surfaces [67] . Ad-MSC can be isolated from any types of white adipose tissue, including subcutaneous and omental fat [61,63,[67][68][69][70] .…”

“…The commonly applied preparation method implies enzymatic digestion with collagenase followed by centrifugation, washing and plating onto plastic surfaces [67] . Ad-MSC can be isolated from any types of white adipose tissue, including subcutaneous and omental fat [61,63,[67][68][69][70] . While the MSC isolation rate from Ad and BM sources is comparable, the yield and expansion capacity are reported higher for Ad than for BM preparations [6,63,[71][72][73] .…”