In Vitro Effect of Lithium Chloride on Adipose Tissue Derived Stem Cells Proliferation and Growth Kinetic

Adipose tissue-derived stem cells (AdSCs) are widely used for regenerative medicine purposes. There is always a need to accelerate cell proliferation and protect the cells from apoptosis when cell transplantation, especially AdSCs, is targeted. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of lithium chloride on the proliferation and growth kinetic of AdSCs.

The study was undertaken in the Stem Cell Technology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, in 2020. Adipose tissue specimens were provided from the abdominal region of a 35-year-old woman. In an in vitro study, human AdSCs were characterized morphologically, by osteo- and adipogenic differentiation properties, and by flow cytometry. They were later treated with lithium chloride to evaluate its effect on cell proliferation and the growth kinetics of AdSCs. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay investigated lithium chloride effect on the proliferation rate and apoptosis of AdSCs. Quantitative Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) was carried out to determine the expression of apoptosis genes of Apoptosis Regulator BCL2 Associated X (BAX) and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) protein family.

AdSCs showed mesenchymal characteristics, and lithium chloride at a dose of 6 µM had an increasing impact on cell proliferation and protected the cells from apoptosis. A non-significant increase in expression of the Bcl-2 gene (P=0.057) and a significant decrease in BAX gene (P=0.034) expression were visible.

Our findings indicate that the addition of lithium chloride to the culture medium enhanced the proliferation of AdSCs and protected them against apoptosis.