Avaliação do potencial de produção de gordura cultivada por técnica de engenharia de tecidos

Abstract

Cultured fat is fat produced using a tissue bioengineering technique based on the cultivation of stem cells isolated from animals through biopsies on structures that mimic the extracellular matrix of the tissue, known as scaffolds. This innovative technology allows the production of a product of animal origin without the negative impacts of intensive domestic animal production on public health, the environment and animal welfare. One of the bottlenecks for the production of cultured fat on a large scale is the identification of a scaffold that prevents the buoyancy of mature adipocytes, a condition that occurs due to the decrease in cell density as they accumulate lipid droplets in the cytoplasm during differentiation. In an innovation partnership with JBS, this study investigated the ability of a porous plant-based scaffold provided by the company to support the growth and anchorage of adipogenic lineage cells even during their differentiation. Immortalized 3T3-L1 cells were used to test the adhesion capacity, viability, proliferation and adipogenic differentiation on this scaffold. Then, porcine adipose tissue-derived stem cells were isolated from visceral adipose tissue biopsies and evaluated for adhesion, survival and differentiation capacity into mature adipocytes. The results demonstrated that the plant-based porous scaffolds adequately supported the adhesion and viability of both cell lines for up to 3 days of culture. 3T3-L1 and ADSC cells also demonstrated the capacity to differentiate into mature adipocytes, with the activation of key genes in the adipogenic differentiation process and the formation of lipid droplets over the time of culture with specific medium. These findings highlight the potential of plant-based porous scaffolds for the production of cultured fat.