title: Cellular extracts from post-mortem human cardiac tissue direct cardiomyogenic differentiation of human adipose tissue-derived stem cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (hASCs) can be easily (and inexpensively) expanded in culture, and their high plasticity allows their conversion to different cell types. We study the potential capacity of postmortem cardiac tissue to direct cardiac differentiation of hASCs in vitro.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cardiac tissue collected from autopsies was used to obtain cell extracts and conditioned medium, and both approaches were tested for cardiac induction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Gene expression analyses proved that post-mortem human cardiac tissue maintains genetic integrity. hASCs exposed to the cell extracts or conditioned medium for 2 weeks achieved the appearance of myotube-like structures and were positive for cardiac markers such as sarcomeric α-actinin, cardiac troponin I and T and desmin as proved by immunofluorescence. In addition, differentiated cells showed increased expression of cardiomyocyte-related genes analyzed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (GATA-4, myocyte-enhancer factor-2c, α-cardiac actin and cardiac troponin I).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For the first time, post-mortem human cardiac tissue was used to induce hASC differentiation into myocardial-like cells. The methodology described here would serve as a useful model to obtain cardiomyocyte-like cells in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Jaén, Spain. Electronic address: mperan@ujaen.es.
authors.forename: Macarena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Perán
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: López-Ruiz
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: González-Herrera
authors.forename: Milán
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bustamante
authors.forename: Aurora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valenzuela
authors.forename: Juan Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Marchal
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development; D000328:Adult; D002102:Cadaver; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D014020:Tissue Extracts
keywords: cardiomyogenic differentiation; cell extract; conditioned medium; human adipose stem cells; postmortem tissue