Human Adipose Derived Cells in Two- and Three-Dimensional Cultures: Functional Validation of an In Vitro Fat Construct

• Main Authors: Robert Bender, Michelle McCarthy, Theodore Brown, Joanna Bukowska, Stanley Smith, Rosalyn D. Abbott, David L. Kaplan, Christopher Williams, James W. Wade, Andrea Alarcon, Xiying Wu, Frank Lau, Jeffrey M. Gimble, Trivia Frazier
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2020-01-01
• Series: Stem Cells International
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/4242130
• ISSN: 1687-966X; 1687-9678

Obesity, defined as a body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or above, has increased considerably in incidence and frequency within the United States and globally. Associated comorbidities including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease have led to a focus on the mechanisms promoting the prevention and treatment of obesity. Commonly utilized in vitro models employ human or mouse preadipocyte cell lines in a 2-dimensional (2D) format. Due to the structural, biochemical, and biological limitations of these models, increased attention has been placed on “organ on a chip” technologies for a 3-dimensional (3D) culture. Herein, we describe a method employing cryopreserved primary human stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells and a human blood product-derived biological scaffold to create a 3D adipose depot in vitro. The “fat-on-chip” 3D cultures have been validated relative to 2D cultures based on proliferation, flow cytometry, adipogenic differentiation, confocal microscopy/immunofluorescence, and functional assays (adipokine secretion, glucose uptake, and lipolysis). Thus, the in vitro culture system demonstrates the critical characteristics required for a humanized 3D white adipose tissue (WAT) model.