Metabolic switches during the first steps of adipogenic stem cells differentiation

- Seven days of adipogenic stimulus showed an increment in hASCs oxygen consumption.
- hASCs differentiation process promotes oxidative stress.
- ROS generation increased in early differentiation; NOX proteins can be a ROS source.
- Seven days of adipogenic induction is necessary to stimulate antioxidant activity.

The understanding of metabolism during cell proliferation and commitment provides a greater insight into the basic biology of cells, allowing future applications. Here we evaluated the energy and oxidative changes during the early adipogenic differentiation of human adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (hASCs). hASCs were maintained under differentiation conditions during 3 and 7 days. Oxygen consumption, mitochondrial mass and membrane potential, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities, non-protein thiols (NPT) concentration and lipid peroxidation were analyzed. We observed that 7 days of adipogenic induction are required to stimulate cells to consume more oxygen and increase mitochondrial activity, indicating organelle maturation and a transition from glycolytic to oxidative energy metabolism. ROS production was only increased after 3 days and may be involved in the differentiation commitment. ROS source was not only the mitochondria and we suggest that NOX proteins are related to ROS generation and therefore adipogenic commitment. ROS production did not change after 7 days, but an increased activity of catalase and NPT concentration as well as a decreased lipid peroxidation were observed. Thus, a short period of differentiation induction is able to change the energetic and oxidative metabolic profile of hASCs and stimulate cytoprotection processes.