Comparison of processing times for isolation of feline adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an attractive source for cell therapy, as they have the potential for differentiation into multi-lineage cells. Adipose tissue is a safe source due to its easy extraction and abundant resource, with minimal risk to the organ donor. In this study, we attempted to correlate the harvest yield and resulting multipotency of feline adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (fAD-MSCs) in accordance with processing time. fAD-MSCs were individually isolated from the abdominal adipose tissues of 6 felines. They were divided into two groups, based on their processing times - Group 1: 0~1 day after adipose tissue harvesting; Group 2: more than 3 days after adipose tissue harvesting. In both groups, the proliferation capacity was analyzed using the cumulative population doubling level (CPDL) calculation assay. The expression levels of MSC-specific markers and differentiation potentials into mesodermal cell lineages were also evaluated. We observed that fAD-MSC isolation yields and CPDL were excellent in Group 1 compared with Group 2. We also found that the differentiation potential-specific genes (ACAN and OPN) were strongly expressed in Group 1 compared with Group 2. These results suggest that for the clinical treatments of feline diseases, fAD-MSCs should be isolated within 1 day after adipose tissue harvesting.