ABSTRACT
In recent years, several groups have demonstrated that mesenchymal cells isolated from the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of human subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) display multilineage developmental plasticity in vitro [1-7]. The presence of an alternative, biologically accessible source of multipotent cells is a pressing matter for regenerative medicine [8]. The availability of an unlimited cell source replacing human chondrocytes could be strongly beneficial for cell therapy, tissue engineering, in vitro drug screening, and development of new therapeutic options to enhance the regenerative capacity of human cartilage. Articular cartilage exhibits little intrinsic repair capacity, and new tissue engineering approaches are being developed to promote cartilage regeneration using cellular therapies.
