In vitro derivation of human brown adipose tissue from pluripotent and mesenchymal stem cell sources: A systematic review of genetic and non-genetic differentiation strategies.
Dharmendhran P., Subramanian K., Parameswaran S.
Systematic Review, published in Differentiation (2026) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.
Relatively higher-quality human studies compared with other topics in this database, e.g. multiple RCTs or systematic reviews. This does not mean it is standard or approved care.
- 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
This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.
- Study type
- Systematic Review
- Journal
- Differentiation (2026)
- Country
- England
- Reported sample size
- —
- Source database
- PubMed
- PMID
- 41830659
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.diff.2026.100954
Abstract (original English)
Human brown adipocytes (BAs) derived from stem cells are increasingly recognized as valuable in-vitro models for investigating thermogenesis and metabolic regulation. Despite this promise, existing differentiation strategies show wide variation in cell sources, methodology and validation approaches, limiting reproducibility and translational potential. This systematic review evaluated current protocols for differentiating human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) into brown adipocytes, assessing methodological consistency, differentiation outcomes, and key limitations. A comprehensive search of PubMed and Google Scholar up to May 2024 was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Twenty-six studies met inclusion criteria. Protocols using hPSCs revealed broad mechanistic potential but generally yielded immature adipogenic and thermogenic phenotypes, while hADSC-derived models demonstrated more reliable lipid accumulation and UCP1 expression yet remained constrained by procedural variability. Most studies emphasized marker-based validation, with limited incorporation of functional assays. The pronounced methodological heterogeneity across studies precluded quantitative synthesis. Overall, current in-vitro differentiation systems produce only partially functional human brown adipocytes. Establishing standardized validation criteria and re
What this study does not prove
- • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
Evidence level
Relatively higher-quality human studies compared with other topics in this database, e.g. multiple RCTs or systematic reviews. This does not mean it is standard or approved care.
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