Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from adipose tissue are evolved into various cell-based regenerative approaches. Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) isolated from rats are commonly used in tissue engineering studies. Still, there is a gap in knowledge about how the harvest locations influence and guide cell differentiation. This study aims to investigate how the harvesting site affects stem-cell-specific surface markers expression, pluripotency, and differentiation potential of ASCs in female Sprague Dawley rats. ASCs were extracted from the adipose tissue of the peri-ovarian, peri-renal, and mesenteric depots and were compared in terms of cell morphology. MSCs phenotype was validated by cell surfaces markers using flow cytometry. Moreover, pluripotent gene expression of Oct4, Nanog, Sox2, Rex-1, and Tert was evaluated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). ASCs multipotency was evaluated by specific histological stains, and the results were confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) expression analysis of specific genes. There was a non-significant difference detected in the cell morphology and immunophenotype between different harvesting sites. ASCs from multiple locations were significantly varied in their capacity to differentiate into adipocytes, osteoblastic cells, and chondrocytes. To conclude, depot selection is a critical element that should be considered when using ASCs in tissue-specific cell-based regenerative therapies research.