Zijun Zhang
MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, USA
Title: Implantation of autologous adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells in foot fat pad in rats
Biography
Biography: Zijun Zhang
Abstract
The Foot Fat Pad (FFP) bears body weight and may become a source of foot pain during aging. This study investigated the regenerative effects of autologous Adipose Tssue derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (AT-MSCs) in the FFP of rats. Fat tissue was harvested from a total of 30 male Sprague-Dowley rats for isolation of AT-MSCs. The cells were cultured and induced adipogenic differentiation for one week and labeled with fluorescent dye before injection. AT-MSCs (5x104 in 50µl saline) were injected into the second infradigital pad in right hind foot of the rat of origin. Saline only (50µl) was injected into the corresponding fat pad in the left hind paw of each rat. Rats (n = 10) were euthanized at 1, 2, and 3 weeks and the second infradigital fat pads were dissected for histology. The fluoresence-labeled AT-MSCs were present in the foot fads throughout the 3-week experimental period. On histology, the area of Fat Pad Units (FPU) in the fat pads that received AT-MSC injections was greater than that in the control fat pads. Although the thickness of septae was not changed by AT-MSC injections, the density of elastic fibers in the septae was increased in the fat pads that implanted AT-MSCs. The implanted AT-MSCs largely survived in the weightbearing FFP. There was no evidence that AT-MSCs formed new FPUs, but they stimulated the growth of individul FPUs and formation of elastic fibers in FFP. These data are promising for developing stem cell therapies for aging-associated degeneration in FFP.