Adipose-derived stromal/stem cells as a potential source of skin regeneration

Adipose-derived stromal/stem cells are easily harvested in large quantities with a minimal size of donor site, and have the potential to differentiate into a variety of cell types. Based on the observation that the specific keratinocyte markers p63 and desmoglein 3 are expressed in adipose-derived stromal/stem cells and that their expression is downregulated after the differentiation of these cells into adipocytes, we speculate that adipose-derived stromal/stem cells have the potential to differentiate into epithelial cells. Moreover, adipose-derived stromal/stem cells treated with retinoic acid and bone morphogenetic protein 4, and co-cultured with fibroblasts on type IV collagen have expressed approximately 8 times higher levels of desmoglein 3 and cytokeratin-5 expression. These findings indicated that suitable scaffolds, growth factors, or external environments are needed in clinical use of adipose-derived stromal/stem cells in treating skin diseases. Cultured adipose-derived stromal/stem cell preparations are heterogeneous and consist of different populations of stem and progenitor cells. For a more efficient induction of differentiation, cell sorting would be necessary, by selection for markers specific to the individual subpopulations. Adipose-derived stromal/stem cells play an increasingly important role as a source of transplantable cells in the treatment of several types of diseases including skin diseases. Further preclinical and clinical studies are needed to establish the efficient introduction of adipose-derived stromal/stem cells for the treatment of skin diseases or conditions.