Spontaneously beating cardiomyocytes derived from white mature adipocytes.

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Adipose stromal cells and dissociated brown adipose tissue have been shown to generate cardiomyocyte-like cells. However, it is not clear whether white mature adipocytes have the same potential, even though a close relationship has been found between adipocytes and vascular endothelial cells, another cardiovascular cell type. The objective of this study was to examine if white adipocytes would be able to supply cardiomyocytes. We prepared a highly purified population of lipid-filled adipocytes from mice, 6-7 weeks of age. When allowed to lose lipids, the adipocytes assumed a fibroblast-like morphology, so-called dedifferentiated fat (DFAT) cells. Subsequently, 10-15% of the DFAT cells spontaneously differentiated into cardiomyocyte-like cells, in which the cardiomyocyte phenotype was identified by morphological observations, expression of cardiomyocyte-specific markers, and immunocytochemical staining. In addition, electrophysiological studies revealed pacemaker activity in these cells, and functional studies showed that a beta-adrenergic agonist stimulated the beating rate, whereas a beta-antagonist reduced it. In vitro treatment of newly isolated adipocytes or DFAT cells with inhibitors of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) and Wnt signalling promoted the development of the cardiomyocyte phenotype as determined by the number or beating colonies of cardiomyocyte-like cells and

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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