Anti-aging mechanism of different age donor-matched adipose-derived stem cells

BACKGROUND: Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) have anti-aging and anti-obesity effects in aged animals, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown. METHODS: In the present study, we evaluated the in vivo transplantation effects of different age donor-matched ASCs on natural aging and leptin knockout mice (ob(−)/ob(−) mice). The multi-omics expression profiles of young and aged mouse donor-derived ASCs were also analyzed. RESULTS: The results revealed that ASCs from young donors induced weight and abdominal fat loss for older recipients but not for young or ob(−)/ob(−)mice. The young and aged mouse donor ASCs displayed significant phenotypic differences, contributing to the distinguished weight loss and anti-aging effects in aged mice. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest an underlying molecular mechanism by which young-donor ASCs reduce immune cells and inflammation in aged mice via secreted immune factors. These findings point to a general anti-aging mechanism of stem cells, which may provide new insights into age-related disturbances of stem cell plasticity in healthy aging and age-related diseases. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13287-023-03415-3.