Cell Models and Their Application for Studying Adipogenic Differentiation in Relation to Obesity: A Review.

Francisco Ruiz-Ojeda,Concepción Aguilera,Angel Gil,Azahara Rupérez,Carolina Gomez-Llorente

doi:10.3390/ijms17071040

Abstract

Over the last several years, the increasing prevalence of obesity has favored an intense study of adipose tissue biology and the precise mechanisms involved in adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis. Adipocyte commitment and differentiation are complex processes, which can be investigated thanks to the development of diverse in vitro cell models and molecular biology techniques that allow for a better understanding of adipogenesis and adipocyte dysfunction associated with obesity. The aim of the present work was to update the different animal and human cell culture models available for studying the in vitro adipogenic differentiation process related to obesity and its co-morbidities. The main characteristics, new protocols, and applications of the cell models used to study the adipogenesis in the last five years have been extensively revised. Moreover, we depict co-cultures and three-dimensional cultures, given their utility to understand the connections between adipocytes and their surrounding cells in adipose tissue.

Highlights

Obesity is one of the most important public health burdens both in developed and developing countries. It is characterized by an excessive accumulation of fat mass in white adipose tissue (WAT), which can occur through an increase in adipocyte volume, number, or a combination of both [1]
Adipose tissue contains adipocytes in addition to a wide population of cells, such as macrophages, fibroblasts, pericytes, blood cells, endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and adipose precursor cells. All of these cells are located in the stromal vascular fraction (SVF), and the cell composition and phenotype of the SVF are usually different depending on the location of the adipose tissue and the adiposity [1,2]
In the context of obesity, WAT is characterized by the presence of inflammation and oxidative stress associated with insulin resistance, which leads to systemic alterations such as metabolic syndrome [5,6]

Summary

Introduction

Obesity is one of the most important public health burdens both in developed and developing countries It is characterized by an excessive accumulation of fat mass in white adipose tissue (WAT), which can occur through an increase in adipocyte volume (hypertrophy), number (hyperplasia), or a combination of both (hypertrophy–hyperplasia) [1]. Adipose tissue contains adipocytes in addition to a wide population of cells, such as macrophages, fibroblasts, pericytes, blood cells, endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and adipose precursor cells. All of these cells are located in the stromal vascular fraction (SVF), and the cell composition and phenotype of the SVF are usually different depending on the location of the adipose tissue and the adiposity [1,2]. This type of adipocyte is referred to as beige or “brite” (brown in white) adipocytes and regarded as a non-classical/inducible brown adipocyte [7,8]

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Conclusion