Altered Cytokine Secretory Fingerprint of the Adipocytes Derived from Stem Cells of Morbidly Obese Patients-A Preliminary Study.

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) are progenitor cells that shape the tissue's biological properties. To examine the adipocytes differentiated from the ADMSCs of lean and obese individuals with/without a metabolic syndrome (MetSx) cytokine secretory profile, as to date, little is known on this topic. Interleukin, chemokine and growth factor levels in the culture medium were determined using the Human Cytokine kit. : We observed a characteristic secretory fingerprint displayed by the cells from the MetSx group and identified a set of putative markers (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-7, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, VEGF, FGF, GM-CSF, TNF-α, IFN-γ) of the condition. Surprisingly, the concentrations of most of the molecules (except for IL-6, IFN-γ, IP-10, VEGF) decreased when compared with the cells from the lean group. We postulate that the difference stemmed from the fact that in vivo cytokines were mostly secreted by the activated monocytes/macrophages and not adipocytes per se. This may also suggest that the aforementioned upregulated cytokines (IL-6, IFN-γ, IP-10, VEGF) might have been the ones that attracted monocytes and triggered the vicious cycle of tissue inflammation. : Our study indicated that the adipocytes newly derived from the ADMSCs of obese patients with metabolic syndrome displayed a secretory fingerprint that may be characteristic to the early stages of the condition.