Mechanically Activated Adipose Tissue as a Source for Novel Therapies in Neurological Disease/Injury

In this review, we describe a new avenue that involves the therapeutic use of human adipose tissue. In the past two decades, thousands of papers have described the potential clinical use of human fat and adipose tissue. Moreover, mesenchymal stem cells have been a source of great enthusiasm in clinical studies, and these have generated curiosity at academic levels. On the other hand, they have created considerable commercial business opportunities. High expectations have emerged for curing some recalcitrant diseases or reconstructing anatomically defective human body parts, but several concerns have been raised by generating criticism on the clinical practice that have not been substantiated by rigorous scientific evidence. However, in general, the consensus is that human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines and stimulate the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Here, we show that the application of a mechanical elliptical force for several minutes to human abdominal fat activates anti-inflammatory properties and gene-related expression. This may pave the way for new unexpected clinical developments.