Effect of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells on preadipocyte differentiation

Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (ucMSCs), being multipotent stem cells located within Wharton's jelly, have garnered substantial interest in the medical field due to their low immunogenicity and proven capabilities in inflammation attenuation, immune modulation, and regenerative applications. Multiple studies have evidenced that ucMSCs not only contribute to disease treatment but also exert an effect on adipose tissue, hinting at a potential relationship between these entities. It is widely acknowledged that adipose tissue predominantly originates from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and that MSCs within a lipogenic milieu show increased commitment towards the adipogenic lineage. Consequently, we speculate that a complex interplay might exist between hucMSCs and adipose tissue during adipocyte differentiation. This study aims to investigate the specific nature of this influence and elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved. We performed transcriptomic profiling through RNA-seq analysis on 3T3-L1 cells cultivated in a co-culture setting, wherein 3T3-L1 cells were seeded in the lower chamber, while human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSCs) were either present or absent in the upper chamber of a 0.4 μm Transwell insert. The cells were subjected to adipogenic differentiation medium (HG-DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS, 2 μmol/L rosiglitazone, 1 μmol/L dexamethasone, 0.5 mmol/L IBMX, and 10 mg/L insulin) for 72 hours, allowing us to compare gene expression patterns between 3T3-L1 cells co-cultured with and without hucMSCs.