Cell Models and Their Application for Studying Adipogenic Differentiation in Relation to Obesity: A Review

Abstract

Over the last several years, the increasing prevalence of obesity has favored an intense study of adipose tissue biology and the precise mechanisms involved in adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis. Adipocyte commitment and differentiation are complex processes, which can be investigated thanks to the development of diverse in vitro cell models and molecular biology techniques that allow for a better understanding of adipogenesis and adipocyte dysfunction associated with obesity. The aim of the present work was to update the different animal and human cell culture models available for studying the in vitro adipogenic differentiation process related to obesity and its co-morbidities. The main characteristics, new protocols, and applications of the cell models used to study the adipogenesis in the last five years have been extensively revised. Moreover, we depict co-cultures and three-dimensional cultures, given their utility to understand the connections between adipocytes and their surrounding cells in adipose tissue.

Keywords: adipocytes; beige cells; brown adipose tissue; cell culture techniques; cell differentiation; in vitro techniques; obesity; white adipose tissue.

Figure 1

Mouse cell lines to study the adipogenesis process. DEX, dexamethasone; FBS, fetalbovineserum; IBMX, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine; D-5-AZ, demethylating agent 5-azacytidine; IOMmedium, 10% FBS, 175 nM Insulin, 0.25 m MDEX, 0.5 m MIBMX, 2 mM l-glutamine, 100 U/mL penicillin, and 100 mg/mL streptomycin.

Figure 2

Human models to study the adipogenesis process. DEX, dexamethasone; IBMX, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine; T3, triiodothyronine.