Published online Jan 26, 2026. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v18.i1.110470
Revised: July 20, 2025
Accepted: November 18, 2025
Published online: January 26, 2026
Processing time: 227 Days and 12.2 Hours
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are considered a promising therapy for various diseases due to their strong potential in regenerative medicine and immunomodulation. The tissue source of MSCs has gained attention for its role in influencing their function, accessibility, and readiness for clinical use.
To identify the most suitable adipose source for MSC isolation and expansion for further applications.
We isolated MSCs from solid adipose tissue and liposuction aspirates using the enzyme method. The MSCs were examined for their expansion using population doubling time, differentiation capacity using multilineage differentiation induc
MSCs were isolated from solid adipose tissue and lipoaspirates and expanded from passage 0 to passage 2. All adipose-derived MSCs (AD-MSCs) exhibited the typical elongated, spindle-shaped morphology and comparable proliferation rate. They expressed positive surface markers [cluster of differentiation 73 (CD73): > 97%, CD90: > 98%, and CD105: > 95%], and negative markers (< 1%). All MSCs expressed similar levels of stemness genes (octamer-binding transcription factor 4, SRY-box 2, Krüppel-like factor, and MYC), colony-forming, and trilineage differentiation potential. Karyotyping analysis revealed normal chromosomal patterns in all samples, except one sample exhibiting a polymorphism (1qh+). Furthermore, the growth factors and cytokines of hepatocyte growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor A, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and IL-8 were detected in all AD-MSC conditioned media; but fibroblast growth factor-2 and keratinocyte growth factor were selectively expressed in conditioned media from solid or lipoaspirate AD-MSCs, respectively.
These findings indicate that AD-MSCs from both adipose sources possess all of the characteristic features of MSCs with source-specific secretome differences, which are suitable for further expansion and various clinical applications.
Core Tip: This study compared mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) derived from solid adipose tissue and lipoaspirates, showing that both sources yielded cells with similar morphology, growth, stemness, and differentiation potential. While overall characteristics were comparable, some growth factors were uniquely expressed depending on the source. These findings support the suitability of both adipose sources for MSC isolation and highlight subtle differences that may influence future therapeutic applications.