Adipose-derived stem cells promote human dermal fibroblast function and increase senescence-associated β-galactosidase mRNA expression through paracrine effects

Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are known to secrete various cytokines, which affect fibroblast function through paracrine effects. In the present study, the paracrine effects of ADSCs on the function and senescence of young and aged human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) were investigated in vitro. ADSCs and HDFs were isolated from healthy donors and flow cytometry was used for immunophenotype identification. ADSCs were co-cultured with young or aged human dermal fibroblasts in Transwell plates, and control groups were established accordingly. Cellular proliferation was measured by an MTT assay. Type I collagen, matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-GAL) mRNA expression were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. It was identified that ADSCs promoted proliferation of co-cultured HDFs and induced increased expression of type I collagen and decreased expression of MMP-1. The co-cultured HDFs exhibited increased expression of SA-beta-GAL. These results demonstrated that ADSCs improve fibroblast function through paracrine effects. The increased expression of SA-beta-GAL indicated an accelerated aging process. It is proposed that ADSCs may improve fibroblast function, but not reverse the age status in vitro.