Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Isolation of Primary Patient-specific Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells and Semiquantitative Real-time Contraction Measurements In Vitro
Published on: February 15, 2022
Adipose stem cell differentiation into smooth muscle cells
Kacey G Marra1, Candace A Brayfield, J Peter Rubin
1Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Abstract:
The differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) into functional smooth muscle cells has received limited investigation. Various methodologies for both in vitro and in vivo differentiation is described. In vitro differentiation is obtained by either chemical or mechanical stimulation, and is determined by expression of smooth muscle cell markers. In vivo differentiation studies include animal models of cardiovascular disease and one study with urinary bladder reconstruction. The ease of obtaining an abundant number of ASCs render this cell population useful for potential vascular therapies that require autologous smooth muscle cells.
Related Concept Videos
Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Adult Stem Cells

