Adipose-Derived Stem Migration in the Vascular System after Transplantation and the Potential Colonization of Ectopic Sites in Swine

Background: Adipose-derived Stem Cells (ASC) are obtained from adipose tissue. They can be harvested by liposuction under local anesthesia, making these cells particularly desirable for use in tissue engineering or cell transplantation. However, little is known about the in-vivo characteristics of these cells post-transplantation. Methods and Findings: Here we evaluate the potential of ASC to migrate systemically and the potential for accumulation and colonization in ectopic tissues in a pig model. ASC injected via ear vein can travel through the entire vasculature of the pig within 60 seconds and the cells continue to be present in the bloodstream for at least 1-hour posttransplantation. However, labeled cells were not present in the bloodstream at 2 or 4 weeks after ASC injection. The injected ASC appear to travel to areas of induced trauma and are not observed in filtering tissues of the body such as the spleen, liver, lung and liver. Conclusion: These findings suggest that systemic administration of ASC could be a successful method of cell transplantation for tissue regeneration.