Effects of storage culture media, temperature and duration on human adipose-derived stem cell viability for clinical use

Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are mesenchymal stem cells that are often used in regenerative medicine. Maintaining ADSC viability is important, as this optimizes the curative effects of cell therapy. However, the optimal conditions for cell viability preservation remain unknown. The present study aimed to acquire a better protocol for ADSC storage by comparing the effects of various solutions and temperatures for ADSC preservation, in order to suggest the most effective methods of short-term ADSC preservation for clinical use. ADSCs from passage 2 were suspended in solutions comprising 0.9% NaCl, 10% human serum (HS) or 10% platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Suspended cells were maintained at 4°C or room temperature (~26°C) for 2, 4 and 6 h. The differentiation capacity, apoptosis and proliferation of ADSCs were determined by oil red O/alizarin red S staining, flow cytometry, and a cell counting kit-8 cell proliferation assay, respectively. In addition, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis was performed. The results revealed that proliferation of ADSCs decreased with time. The optimal time for ADSC use was ~2 h, and 4 h was determined to be the latest time that ADSCs should be used. The 10% HS group had the highest survival rate, followed by the 10% PRP group; these two groups had higher survival rates than the 0.9% NaCl group (P<0.05). HS and PRP at 4°C enhanced the ADSC proliferation rate (P<0.05), although the difference between these two groups was insignificant (P>0.05). In conclusion, the optimal time to use ADSCs was <2 h, and should not exceed 4 h. It was recommended that, for the transportation and short-term storage of ADSCs during clinical use, they should be stored with 10% HS at 4°C to maintain ADSC viability. In addition, this was a cost-effective and safe method.