Email this page

Print this page

Review

Adipose tissue-organotypic culture system as a promising model for studying adipose tissue biology and regeneration

Shuji Toda, Kazuyoshi Uchihashi, Shigehisa Aoki, Emiko Sonoda, Fumio Yamasaki, Meihua Piao, Akifumi Ootani, Nobuhisa Yonemitsu and Hajime Sugihara

Adipose tissue consists of mature adipocytes, preadipocytes and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), but a culture system for analyzing their cell types within the tissue has not been established. We have recently developed “adipose tissue-organotypic culture system” that maintains unilocular structure, proliferative ability and functions of mature adipocytes for a long term, using three-dimensional collagen gel culture of the tissue fragments. In this system, both preadipocytes and MSCs regenerate actively at the peripheral zone of the fragments. Our method will open up a new way for studying both multiple cell types within adipose tissue and the cell-based mechanisms of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Thus, it seems to be a promising model for investigating adipose tissue biology and regeneration. In this article, we introduce adipose tissue-organotypic culture, and propose two theories regarding the mechanism of tissue regeneration that occurs specifically at peripheral zone of tissue fragments in vitro.

Authors

Shuji Toda Corresponding author: todas@cc.saga-u.ac.jp

Saga University; Saga, Japan

Kazuyoshi Uchihashi

Saga University; Saga, Japan

Shigehisa Aoki

Saga University; Saga, Japan

Emiko Sonoda

Saga University; Saga, Japan

Fumio Yamasaki

Saga University; Saga, Japan

Meihua Piao

Saga University; Saga, Japan

Akifumi Ootani

Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA

Nobuhisa Yonemitsu

Sasebo Chuou Hospital; Sasebo, Japan

Hajime Sugihara

International University of Health and Welfare; Fukuoka, Japan