In vitro differentiation of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells into endothelial-like cells

• Published in: Chinese science bulletin 2006-08, Vol.51 (15), p.1863-1868
• Main Authors: Guan, Lidong, Shaoqing, Li, Wang, Yunfang, Yue, Huimin, Liu, Daqing, He, Lijuan, Bai, Cixian, Yan, Fang, Nan, Xue, Shi, Shuangshuang, Pei, Xuetao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 内皮细胞; 干细胞; 组织工程; 脂肪组织
• ISSN: 1001-6538; 1861-9541
• DOI: 10.1007/s11434-006-2055-7

The neovascularization of ischemic tissue is a crucial initial step for the functional rehabilitation and wound healing. However, the short of seed cell candidate for the foundation of vascular network is still a big issue. Human adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells （hADSCs）, which possess multilineage potential, are capable of adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation. We examined whether this kind of stem cells could differentiate into endothelial-like cells and participate in blood vessel formation, and whether they could be used as an ideal cell source for therapeutic anglogenesis in ischemic diseases or vascularization of tissue constructs. The results showed that hADSCs, grown under appropriately induced conditions, displayed characteristics similar to those of vessel endothelium. The differentiated cells expressed endothelial cell markers CD34 and vWF, and had high metabolism of acetylated low-density lipoprotein and prostacyclin. In addition, the induced cells were able to form tube-like structures when cultured on matrigel Our data indicated that induced hADSCs could exhibit characteristics of endothelial cells. Therefore, these cells, as a source of human endothelial cells, may find many applications in such realms as engineering blood vessels, endothelial cell transplantation for myocardial regeneration, and induction of anglogenesis for treatment of regional ischemia.