The article discusses stromal vascular fraction (SVF), an alternative source of adult stem cells that can differentiate into adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteocytes. SVF can be easily isolated from fat tissue using liposuction technique, making it less invasive than the bone marrow puncture method for obtaining bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. The purity, consistency, and differentiation ability of SVF depend on the isolation method and the source site of adipose tissue. Closed system automated biomedical devices that use enzymatic digestion, gravity separation, filtration, or mechanical methods can isolate SVF without requiring enzymes or additives. To enhance SVF outcomes, the fat sources should also be considered, and multicolor flow cytometry is used to characterize SVF cellular contents based on surface antigens.
SVF has shown potential as an alternative therapy for metabolic disorders. Multicolor flow cytometry is used to characterize SVF cellular contents based on surface antigens, which include 31 types of cluster of differentiation (CD) molecules. These various CD molecules represent different lineage types, which can be classified into adipocyte, hematopoietic, endothelial, pericyte, and MSC lineages.
To obtain the best SVF contents, the fat sources should also be considered. Festy et al. attempted to determine the best SVF contents in different sources between subcutaneous and omental adipose tissue using multicolor flow cytometry, but the results showed no significant difference in surface marker expression. However, another study reported that superficial adipose tissue (SAT) showed increased stem cell progenitors with a higher stromal compound and increased multi-potency of the cells compared to deep layer adipose tissue (DAT).
In conclusion, SVF is a promising alternative source of adult stem cells that can be easily isolated from fat tissue using less invasive techniques than bone marrow puncture. The purity, consistency, and differentiation ability of SVF depend on the isolation method and the source site of adipose tissue. Multicolor flow cytometry is used to characterize SVF cellular contents based on surface antigens, which can be classified into different lineage types. Fat sources should also be considered when obtaining SVF, and different studies have reported various findings in the best SVF contents.