U.S. scientists have transformed adult stem cells from fat tissue into smooth muscle cells that help the function of organs such as the bladder.
The UCLA researchers say their achievement might help lead to the use of fat stem cells for smooth muscle tissue engineering and repair.
The study is one of the first to show stem cells derived from adipose tissue can acquire the physical and biochemical characteristics, as well as the functionality, of smooth muscle cells. Such cells are found within the human body in the walls of hollow organs such as blood vessels, bladder and intestines.
Fat tissue may prove a reliable source of smooth muscle cells that we can use to regenerate and repair damaged organs, said Dr. Larissa Rodriguez, principal investigator and assistant professor of urology at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.
Rodriguez notes smooth muscle cells have also been produced from stem cells found in the brain and bone marrow, but acquiring stem cells from adipose tissue is much easier and most patients have adipose tissue readily available.
The research is detailed in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
