Rapid expansion of human adipose-derived stromal cells preserving multipotency

Adipose-derived stromal (stem) cells (ASC) have been shown to be of great therapeutic use in pre-clinical studies in diverse fields, but a standard expansion method has not been established. We investigated the effects of an endothelial growth medium (EGM-2) on ASC, focusing on proliferation and differentiation potentials.

ASC were cultured in EGM-2 and DMEM. Doubling time and total cell number were compared between the two media. The proliferative effect of each growth factor supplemented in EGM-2 was also examined. Cultured cells in each medium were examined for surface marker expression using flow cytometry. Differentiation into the adipogenic, chondrogenic and osteogenic lineages was analyzed after culture in each medium.

ASC cultured with EGM-2 proliferated much more rapidly (10(5) times in 2 weeks) and reached the stationary phase earlier than those cultured with DMEM. Among the supplements contained in EGM-2, only fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) significantly promoted proliferation of ASC, although the proliferative effect of FGF-2 was much less than that of EGM-2, suggesting a synergism among other supplement factors. Flow cytometry and differentiation assays suggested that ASC cultured in EGM-2 preserved immunophenotype and differentiation capacity for at least three mesenchymal lineages (adipogenic, chondrogenic and osteogenic), similar to those cultured with DMEM.

The present expansion method markedly accelerates proliferation of ASC, preserving their multipotent differentiation capacities, and lays the groundwork for establishing a practical route to mega-expansion of ASC for clinical applications.