Primary cultures of stromal-vascular cells from pig adipose tissue: The influence of glucocorticoids and insulin as inducers of adipocyte differentiation

Abstract

Porcine stromal-vascular (S-V) cells from perirenal and subcutaneous fat depots were studied in a primary culture system. The ability of S-V cells to differentiate into adipocytes in response to insulin and to glucocorticoid treatments was determined. Treatments were either hydrocortisone plus insulin, dexamethasone plus isobutylmethylxanthine, or insulin. Insulin did not affect glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) activity or cytodifferentiation in porcine S-V cultures. All cultures differentiated in response to glucocorticoid addition. Glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase specific activity increased an average of 42.5% and the number of cell clusters with multilocular fat cells markedly increased. Cells receiving insulin after dexamethasone-stimulated differentiation had no greater ability to respond to the insulin than cells from control cultures. Glucocorticoids promoted cytodifferentiation of porcine S-V cells to adipocytes in a qualitative manner similar to other preadipocyte models; quantitatively, however, the response was greatly diminished.