Roles of adipose-derived stem cells in cell-based therapy: current status and future scope—a narrative review

Background and Objective: Stem cell-based regenerative medicine is a new therapeutic approach for repairing or replacing tissues and organs that have been depleted or damaged by genetic, traumatic, or age-related degenerative disorders by creating functional tissues or supporting wound healing. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are a type of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) isolated from adipose tissue that are an ideal source of cells for treatment of many diseases. In this review, the current challenges for use of ADSCs in regenerative medicine are discussed to understand directions for clinical applications in transplantation, gene therapy, and tissue engineering. Methods: To explicate recent developments and progress in ADSCs in cell-based therapy, we performed a thorough review of the literature through independent searches using the MEDLINE database within NIH National Library of Medicine PubMed. Key Content and Findings: Many groups have investigated the roles of ADSCs in treating disease. Administration of ADSCs in animal models has been reported to improve healing benefits through enhanced cell regeneration and engraftment, increased blood supply, immunomodulation, anti-inflammatory effects, and elevation of concentrations of growth factors associated with wound healing. More recently, clinical studies have sought to examine the impact of ADSCs. Exosomes and other extracellular vesicles secreted from ADSCs can be applied directly to recapitulate the beneficial effects of ADSCs. Conclusions: The emergence of ADSC therapy provides a novel means for tissue regeneration. Numerous clinical and pre-clinical studies have shown the vital roles of ADSCs in reconstructing and repairing target organs, such as bone, cartilage, myocardium, liver, nervous system, and skin. However, there are still many issues that remain to be clarified regarding the mechanisms of therapeutic efficacy and safety. Therefore, further research, including pre-clinical studies, is needed to examine these issues.