Plasticity of human adipose lineage cells toward endothelial cells: physiological and therapeutic perspectives.
BACKGROUND
Adipose tissue development and remodeling are closely associated with the growth of vascular network. We hypothesized that adipose tissue may contain progenitor cells with angiogenic potential and that therapy based on adipose tissue-derived progenitor cells administration may constitute a promising cell therapy in patients with ischemic disease.


RESULTS
In mice, cultured stromal-vascular fraction (SVF) cells from adipose tissue have a great proangiogenic potential, comparable to that of bone marrow mononuclear cells in the mouse ischemic hindlimb model. Similarly, cultured human SVF cells differentiate into endothelial cells, incorporate into vessels, and promote both postischemic neovascularization in nude mice and vessel-like structure formation in Matrigel plug. In vitro, these cells represent a homogeneous population of CD34- and CD13-positive cells, which can spontaneously express the endothelial cell markers CD31 and von Willebrand factor when cultured in semisolid medium. Interestingly, dedifferentiated mature human adipocytes have the potential to rapidly acquire the endothelial phenotype in vitro and to promote neovascularization in ischemic tissue and vessel-like structure formation in Matrigel plug, suggesting that cells of endothelial and adipocyte phenotypes may have a common precursor.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates, for the first time, that adipocytes and endothelial cells have a common progenitor. Such adipose lineage cells participate in vascular-like structure formation in Matrigel plug and enhance the neovascularization reaction in ischemic tissue. These results also highlight the concept that adipose lineage cells represent a suitable new cell source for therapeutic angiogenesis in ischemic disease.
Planat-Benard
Valérie
V
Unité Mixte de Recherche 5018 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paul Sabatier, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Rangueil, Toulouse, France.
Silvestre
Jean-Sébastien
JS
Cousin
Béatrice
B
André
Mireille
M
Nibbelink
Maryse
M
Tamarat
Radia
R
Clergue
Michel
M
Manneville
Carole
C
Saillan-Barreau
Corinne
C
Duriez
Micheline
M
Tedgui
Alain
A
Levy
Bernard
B
Pénicaud
Luc
L
Casteilla
Louis
L
D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000166:cytology*; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008819:Mice, Nude; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000098:blood supply; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D010641:Phenotype; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation
D015415:Biomarkers