Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Stem Cells. Jun 26, 2022; 14(6): 372-392
Published online Jun 26, 2022. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v14.i6.372
Adipose tissue in bone regeneration - stem cell source and beyond
Luminita Labusca
Luminita Labusca, Magnetic Materials and Sensors, National Institute of Research and Development for Technical Physics, Iasi 700050, Romania
Luminita Labusca, Orthopedics and Traumatology, County Emergency Hospital Saint Spiridon Iasi, Iasi 700050, Romania
Author contributions: Labusca L drafted the manuscript, revised the literature and wrote the manuscript text.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Luminita Labusca, MD, PhD, Senior Scientist, Magnetic Materials and Sensors, National Institute of Research and Development for Technical Physics, Boulevard Dimitrie Mangeron 47, Iasi 700050, Romania. drlluminita@yahoo.com
Received: July 17, 2021
Peer-review started: July 17, 2021
First decision: August 9, 2021
Revised: August 30, 2021
Accepted: May 27, 2022
Article in press: May 27, 2022
Published online: June 26, 2022
Abstract

Adipose tissue (AT) is recognized as a complex organ involved in major home-ostatic body functions, such as food intake, energy balance, immunomodulation, development and growth, and functioning of the reproductive organs. The role of AT in tissue and organ homeostasis, repair and regeneration is increasingly recognized. Different AT compartments (white AT, brown AT and bone marrow AT) and their interrelation with bone metabolism will be presented. AT-derived stem cell populations - adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells and pluripotent-like stem cells. Multilineage differentiating stress-enduring and dedifferentiated fat cells can be obtained in relatively high quantities compared to other sources. Their role in different strategies of bone and fracture healing tissue engineering and cell therapy will be described. The current use of AT- or AT-derived stem cell populations for fracture healing and bone regenerative strategies will be presented, as well as major challenges in furthering bone regenerative strategies to clinical settings.

Keywords: Adipose tissue, Bone metabolism, Fracture healing, Adipose-derived stem cells, Multilineage differentiating stress-enduring, Dedifferentiated fat cells, Bone engineering

Core Tip: Adipose tissue (AT) is a multifunctional organ with intricate body functions. Different AT compartments have complex interrelations with bone metabolism, tissue maintenance and fracture healing. AT-derived stem cell populations are promising tools for bone regeneration. The current use of AT- or AT-derived stem cell populations for fracture healing and bone regenerative strategies will be presented, as well as major challenges in furthering bone regenerative strategies to clinical settings.