ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study examined a rapid isolation method decreasing the time and cost of the clinical application of adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Aliquots (10 g) of the lipoaspirates were stored at 4degrees C without supplying oxygen or nutrients. At the indicated time points, the yield of mononuclear cells was evaluated and the stem cell population was counted by colony forming unit-fibroblast assays. Cell surface markers, stem cell-related transcription factors, and differentiation potentials of ASCs were analyzed. RESULTS: When the lipoaspirates were stored at 4degrees C, the total yield of mononuclear cells decreased, but the stem cell population was enriched. These ASCs expressed CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105, and HLA-ABC but not CD14, CD31, CD34, CD45, CD117, CD133, and HLA-DR. The number of ASCs increased 1x1014 fold for 120 days. ASCs differentiated into osteoblasts, adipocytes, muscle cells, or neuronal cells. CONCLUSION: ASCs isolated from lipoaspirates and stored for 24 hours at 4degrees C have similar properties to ASCs isolated from fresh lipoaspirates. Our results suggest that ASCs can be isolated with high frequency by optimal storage at 4degrees C for 24 hours, and those ASCs are highly proliferative and multipotent, similar to ASCs isolated from fresh lipoaspirates. These ASCs can be useful for clinical application because they are time- and cost-efficient, and these cells maintain their stemness for a long time, like ASCs isolated from fresh lipoaspirates.