Isolation, culture and characterization of mesenchymal stem cells from adipose tissue

Recent reports strongly support the idea that the majority of adult tissues contain stem cells with the potential to replicate and differentiate beyond the limits imposed by the parental tissue. This statement can be extended to organs that apparently do not posses an evident regenerative capacity, such as the brain, heart and pancreas. Thus, the challenge is to identify and isolate these adult stem cells and try to decipher the mechanisms that activate the differentiation events. As with embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells can be expanded in vitro and differentiated towards certain lineages, although the latter still requires substantial improvements. Tissues bearing adult stem cells with special scientific interest are bone marrow, blood, liver, brain, retina, adipose tissue and skin. Among these tissues, adiposederived mesenchymal stem cells have awakened a special interest in several scientific sectors, since they are easy to isolate and have the ability to differentiate to a large variety of cell fates, which include mesenchymal and non-mesenchymal related cells. In this context, adipose mesenchymal stem cells offer the possibility to repair damaged tissues, opening new cell therapy-based strategies for the treatment of several pathologies, including diabetes.