The Effects of Cytokines in Adipose Stem Cell-Conditioned Medium on the Migration and Proliferation of Skin Fibroblasts In Vitro

Although adipose stem cell-conditioned medium (ASC-CM) has demonstrated the effect of promoting the cutaneous wound healing, the mechanism for this response on the effector cells (e.g., dermal fibroblasts) during the process remains to be determined. In this study, we aim to investigate the types and contents of cytokines in ASC-CM and the effects of some kinds of common cytokines in ASC-CM, such as EGF, PDGF-AA, VEGF, and bFGF, on dermal fibroblasts proliferation and migration in wound healing process. Results showed that these four cytokines had high concentrations in ASC-CM. The migration of skin fibroblasts could be significantly stimulated by VEGF, bFGF, and PDGF-AA, and the proliferation could be significantly stimulated by bFGF and EGF in ASC-CM. Additionally, ASC-CM had more obvious promoting effect on fibroblasts proliferation and migration than single cytokine. These observations suggested that ASC-CM played an important role in the cutaneous injury partly by the synergistic actions of several cytokines in promoting dermal fibroblasts proliferation and migration, and ASC-CM was more adaptive than each single cytokine to be applied in promoting the wound healing.