Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) show great promise for tissue engineering applications and cell-based therapies because of their multipotency, relative abundance and immunosuppressive properties. However, ASCs must be isolated from heterogeneous cell populations present in adipose tissue. In this brief report, we provide a concise summary of the history and use of cellular mechanical properties as novel, label-free biomarkers to predict the differentiation potential of ASCs toward adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic lineages. Additionally, we have found that passage number influences the mechanical properties of ASCs along with a discussion of potential environmental factors that could affect these properties. Altogether, this report provides evidence for the reliability of cellular mechanical properties as biomarkers for ASC differentiation potential and outlines how they can be used to sort ASCs with lineage-specific preferences for particular applications.
Keywords: atomic force microscopy; cell mechanics; cell sorting; differentiation; fat; mesenchymal stem cell; passaging; regenerative medicine; stem cell enrichment.