Anatomy, Histology, and Embryonic Origin of Adipose Tissue: Insights to Understand Adipose Tissue Homofunctionality in Regeneration and Therapies

Abstract

Abstract

Preadipocytes are formed during the 14th and 16th weeks of gestation. White adipose tissue, in particular, is generated in specific areas and thereby assembles after birth, rapidly increasing following the propagation of adipoblasts, which are considered the preadipocyte cell precursors. The second trimester of gestation is a fundamental phase of adipogenesis, and in the third trimester, adipocytes, albeit small may be present within the main deposition areas. In the course of late gestation, adipose tissue develops in the foetus and promotes the synthesis of large amounts of uncoupling protein 1, in similar quantities relative to differentiated brown adipose tissue. In mammals, differentiation occurs in two functionally different types of adipose cells: white adipose cells resulting from lipid storage and brown adipose cells from increased metabolic energy consumption. During skeletogenesis, synovial joints develop through the condensation of mesenchymal cells, which forms an insertional layer of flattened cells that umlaut skeletal elements, by sharing the same origin in the development of synovium. Peri-articular fat pads possess structural similarity with body subcutaneous white adipose tissue; however, they exhibit a distinct metabolic function due to the micro-environmental cues in which they are embedded. Fat pads are an important component of the synovial joint and play a key role in the maintenance of joint homeostasis. They are also implicated in pathological states such as osteoarthritis.

In this paper we explore the therapeutic potential of adipocyte tissue mesenchymal precursor-based stem cell therapy linking it back to the anatomic origin of adipose tissue.