Recombinant Growth/differemtiation Factor (gdf-5) Stimulates Osteogenesis and Agiogenesis in Fat-derived Stromal Cells in Vitro

Introduction. Fat-derived adult mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into several phenotypes reflecting their potential to regenerate various skeletal tissues. These properties together with the association of adipose with skeletal tissues formed the basis of our study to establish an experimental model using fat-derived stromal cells and to examine their osteogenesis in vitro under the influence of either GDF-5 or BMP-2. Members of the BMP/GDF family of proteins are known for their properties that elicit skeletal morphogenesis, but little is known about the mechanism whereby these morphogens exert their effect on the osteoblastic differentiation of fat-derived stromal cells. We compared the effects of GDF-5 and BMP-2 in their recombinant forms to qualitatively and quantitatively determine their influence on the osteogenic differentiation of fat derived mesenchymal cells by examining the effects on mineralization, extracellular matrix and gene expression.