ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are potentially very useful for regenerative and reparative medicine as well as therapeutic possibilities. The aim of this study is to examine the ability of ADSCs and AFSCs to be phenotypically and functionally differentiated into adipocyte and to determine the appropriate stem cell source and conditions for efficient adipocyte regeneration. METHODS: Adipogenic differentiation was induced by culturing confluent ADSCs and AFSCs in adipogenic medium for 2~4 weeks. During the differentiation inducing period, we evaluated the successful adipogenesis by performing immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR to detect the lipid producibility and several adipogenic gene expressions including lipoprotein lipase (LPL), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma2 (PPAR gamma2) and adiponectin. RESULTS: ADSCs and AFSCs are expanded easily in vitro and exhibited a fibroblast-like morphology as previously known in MSCs from bone marrow and a commercial source. Flow cytometric analysis showed that ADSCs and AFSCs expressed several CD marker antigens similar to those observed on bone marrow-derived MSCs. Adipogenic induction of ADSCs and AFSCs resulted in the extended cell morphology, intracellular staining of an established lipid dye Oil Red O, and expression of adipocyte-specific genes. CONCLUSION: Both ADSCs and AFSCs successfully differentiate in vitro into adipogenic cells in the presence of the lineage-specific induction factors although ADSC showed the greater capability. Therefore, the results suggest that ADSCs and AFSCs may be an excellent choice for many future tissue engineering strategies and cell-based therapies.