Comparison of the Proliferation, Viability, and Differentiation Capacity of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells from Different Anatomic Sites in Rabbits

Tissue engineering is clinically promising for missing and damaged tissues. Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs), a type of mesenchymal stem cells, represent a reliable source of seed cells for tissue engineering with multiple merits such as minimal invasion, abundant yield, little immunity, low morbidity, easy isolation, and rapid expansion. However, because the properties of adipose tissue-derived cells differ depending on the fat depot from which they are derived, we compared the ASCs from three anatomic sites of New Zealand white rabbits: subcutaneous inguinal (SI), subcutaneous dorsocervical (SD), and retroperitoneal perinephric (RP) regions. We investigated cellular behaviors including proliferation, viability, and differentiation. The ASCs of the subcutaneous regions (SI and SD) had higher performances in all assessments compared to those of the RP region. Moreover, the SI and SD ASCs had significant differences, with SI ASCs having better properties than SD ASCs. We conclude that the different anatomic distributions of fat contribute to the different behaviors of ASCs. The SI region offers the most applicable cell source reservoir for ASC tissue engineering. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel