Activity and function of auxiliary fluxes of glucose metabolism in response to physiological normoxia (5 % O2) during long-term Adipose-Derived Stem/Stromal cell culture

Energy metabolism homeostasis emerges as a dominant element influencing mesenchymal stem/stromal cells’ trajectory of development. The predominant glycolysis activity is a primary driver of cell proliferation and maintenance of the high-energetic state. Here, we examined the functions of two crucial auxiliary pathways: the phosphate-pentose pathway (PPP) and fructose-2,6-biphosphate pathway (FBP) to evaluate their impact on the therapeutic potential of Adipose-Derived Stem/Stromal cells (ASCs) during prolonged culture in various oxygen conditions: 5 % O₂ - physiological normoxia or 21 % O₂ - atmospheric oxygen. Our findings demonstrate that ASCs cultured in 5 % O₂ increased the rate of proliferation, migration, and expression of stemness factors, which is prominent during the initial and middle passages. Additionally, ASCs cultured in a 5 % O₂ exhibited heightened protection mechanisms against free radicals, increased LDH gene expression, and elevated extracellular acidification rate (ECAR). By estimating the HIF-1α level, we concluded that 5 % oxygen conditions were insufficient to induce a profound hypoxic state in ASCs. However, at the protein level, both the PPP and FBP pathways appeared to be more active in young (2-passage) cells, regardless of oxygen conditions, and their activity diminished over time. Additionally, the chemical suppression of G6PDH by Polydatin and inhibition of PFKFB3 by PFK-158 in ASCs (passage-2) revealed dose- and time-dependent effect on decreasing migratory capabilities of cells. Nevertheless, our work underscores the adaptable nature of ASC metabolism to prevailing external conditions, with the aging of the culture contributing to the decline in glycolysis-associated auxiliary pathways.