Adipose tissue precursor cells

Stem cells are unique cells exhibiting self-renewing properties and the potential to differentiate into multiple specialized cell types. Totipotent or pluripotent stem cells are generally abundant in embryonic or fetal tissues, but the use of discarded embryos as sources of these cells raises challenging ethical problems. Adult stem cells can also differentiate into a wide variety of cell types. In particular, adult adipose tissue contains a pool of abundant and accessible m ultipotent stem cells, designated as adipose stem cells (ASCs), that are able to replicate as undifferentiated cells, to develop as mature adipocytes, and to differentiate into multiple other cell types along the mesenchymal lineage, including chondrocytes, myocytes and osteoblasts, and also into cells of neuroectodermal origin, including neurons and astrocytes. An impairment in the differentiation potential and biological function of ASCs may contribute to the development of obesity and related pathologies. In this review, we summarize different aspects of adipose derived stem cells with special reference to isolation, characterization and properties of these cell populations, their potential role in the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases, and prospective therapeutic applications. ©2010, Editrice Kurtis.