We here showed that even under optimized conditions for biochemical differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells (with respect to a pronounced marker protein expression for a reasonable period of time) it was not possible to obtain functional smooth muscle cells from all donors. Moreover, an underestimated role may play the effect of the scaffold material on smooth muscle cell functionality. Both aspects are crucial for the successful tissue engineering of the vascular medial layer combining autologous cells with a suitable scaffold material and thus should be thoroughly addressed in each individualized therapeutic approach.
Keywords: adipogenic mesenchymal stem cells; bone morphogenetic protein-4; collagen gel contraction assay; contractile phenotype; fibrin scaffolds; sphingosylphosphorylcholine; transforming growth factor beta; vascular tissue engineering.