mouse epididymal adipose tissue extraction and stem cell isolation for flow cytometric and functional characterization

Primary Culture of Adipose Tissue Derived Stem Cells from Mouse Epididymis

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are adult multipotential cells differentiating into cells such as osteoblast, chondroblast, and adipocyte1,2. These cells reside in several organs, and because of that, they can be extracted from adult tissues such as bone marrow, muscle, fat, hair follicle, tooth root, placenta, dermis, perichondrium, umbilical cord, lung, liver, and spleen3,4.
The effects of MSCs on physiology and the immune system have been reported5,6. These cells have been promising for treating several diseases, both in human and veterinary medicine. The MSCs can control inflammation and promote angiogenesis and tissue homeostasis through different mechanisms, such as cell-cell contact, soluble factors, and small extracellular vesicles7,8,9,10. Furthermore, the MSCs are immune-privileged cells capable of surviving in immunologically incompatible allogeneic transplant recipients because these cells show low expression of class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules and are used in cell-based therapy for allogeneic transplant11,12. The low immunogenicity combined with the regenerative potential makes MSCs ideal candidates for cell therapy, such as graft-versus-host disease (GvHD)13, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)14, and multiple sclerosis15, among others16,17.
Despite the fact that MSCs reside in several adult tissues, the adipose tissue offers advantages over other sources, such as accessibility for harvesting, with minimal surgical intervention; large number of available cells with high expansion rate; and easy in vitro expansion using an easy-to-perform protocol without the need for specific equipment and low-cost materials18,19,20. Once extracted, the adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) must be characterized as established by the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT)21. Thus, MSCs must show morphology fibroblast-like, adherence to plastic culture, expressing a high percentage (&#8805;95%) of mesenchymal markers such as endoglin (CD105), ecto-5&#39;-nucleotidase (CD73) and Thy-1 (CD90), and low percentage (&#8804;2%) of hematopoietic markers such as leukocyte common antigen (CD45), transmembrane phosphoglycoprotein (CD34), glycolipid-anchored membrane glycoprotein (CD14), integrin alpha M (CD11b), B-cell antigen receptor complex-associated protein alpha chain (CD79&#945;) or B-lymphocyte surface antigen B4 (CD19) and class II human leukocyte antigen (HLA-II). Furthermore, a functional characterization is required, and the cells should be able to differentiate into osteoblast, chondroblast, or adipoblast cells21.
Here, we show how to obtain the MSCs from epididymal adipose tissue using mechanical dissociation and enzymatic digestion for in vitro studies and the morphological characterization preconized by ISCT.

Author Spotlight: Advancing Treatment Approaches with Adipose-Derived Stem Cells

Isolation, In Vitro Expansion, and Characterization of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Mouse Epididymal Adipose Tissue

My research focus on adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells as a new approach treatment associated or not associated with other therapies to improve the inflammation from several disease. We demonstrated that using adipose mesenchymal stem cells in conjunction with Praziquantel has significantly controlled the granulomatous reaction in Schistosoma mansoni infection, highlighting the benefits of this combined treatment approach. Our protocol address the research gap in the meticulous collection of epididymal adipose tissue under aseptic condictions, that the physical processing involving vigorous shaking, and identifies the optimal time for utilizing adipose-derived stem cells.Our protocol offers significant advantages, notably the abundant availability and the potential strength for isolation of mesenchymal stem cells. Additionally, mesenchymal stem cells poses potent therapeutic properties including anti-inflammatory and tissue regeneration capabilities.

Mouse Epididymal Adipose Tissue Extraction and Stem Cell Isolation for Flow Cytometric and Functional Characterization

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been extensively studied as a new therapeutic approach, mainly to stop exacerbated inflammation due to their potential ...

Differentiation of Mouse Adipose Tissue Derived Stem Cells for Therapeutic Research