Surgical-derived oral adipose tissue provides early stage adult stem cells

Abstract Background/purpose Stem cells (SCs) are characterized by the ability to undergo self-renewal and differentiation into multi-lineage cell types. The low risk to donors, the ease of harvest, and the abundance in the human body of adipose-derived SCs make it an attractive source for adult SCs. Materials and methods Oral adipose tissue was collected by clinical surgery as certified by the Institutional Review Board. SCs were isolated and purified with collagenase containing Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) and confirmed by immunofluorescence staining with early stage SCs and germinal layer markers. Telomere length was assayed following the procedure provided with the Telo TAGGG kit, and the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4) was detected with primers 5′-GTA CTC CTC GGT CCC TTT CC-3′ and 5′-CAA AAA CCC TGG CAC AAA CT-3′. Results SCs derived from human oral adipose tissue (hOASCs) express Oct4 (an early stage stem cell marker) as well as bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) and nestin (both germ layer markers). Furthermore, the telomere length assay showed that hOASCs possess high-molecular-weight fragments of telomere, an indication of self-renewal capacity. Contrary to previous observations that the differentiation ability of adult SCs is affected by cell age and source of restructure, our results suggested that hOASCs possess pluripotential at the early stage and the ability to continually proliferate without curtailment of the telomere length. Conclusion Human oral adipose tissues can be a beneficial source for isolating pluripotent adult SCs for clinical autologous applications.