Adipose stem cells (ASCs) have multilineage differentiation capacity and hold great potential for regenerative medicine. Compared to bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (bmMSCs), ASCs are easier to isolate from abundant sources with significantly higher yields. It is generally accepted that bmMSCs show age-related changes in their proliferation and differentiation potentials, whereas this aspect is still controversial in the case of ASCs. In this review, we evaluated the existing data on the effect of donor age on the osteogenic potential of human ASCs. Overall, a poor agreement has been achieved because of inconsistent findings in the previous studies. Finally, we attempted to delineate the possible reasons behind the lack of agreements reported in the literature. ASCs represent a heterogeneous cell population, and the osteogenic potential of ASCs can be influenced by donor-related factors such as age, but also gender, lifestyle, and the underlying health and metabolic state of donors. Furthermore, future studies should consider experimental factors in in vitro conditions, including passaging, cryopreservation, culture conditions, variations in differentiation protocols, and readout methods.

Adipose stem cells (ASCs) have multilineage differentiation capacity and hold great potential for regenerative medicine. Compared to bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (bmMSCs), ASCs are easier to isolate from abundant sources with significantly higher yields. It is generally accepted that bmMSCs show age-related changes in their proliferation and differentiation potentials, whereas this aspect is still controversial in the case of ASCs. In this review, we evaluated the existing data on the effect of donor age on the osteogenic potential of human ASCs. Overall, a poor agreement has been achieved because of inconsistent findings in the previous studies. Finally, we attempted to delineate the possible reasons behind the lack of agreements reported in the literature. ASCs represent a heterogeneous cell population and the osteogenic potential of ASCs can be influenced by donor-related factors such as age, but also gender, lifestyle, and the underlying health and metabolic state of donors. Furthermore, future studies should consider experimental factors in in-vitro conditions, including passaging, cryopreservation, culture conditions, variations in differentiation protocols, and readout methods.

Adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (ASCs) are promising candidates for bone tissue engineering due to their abundance, accessibility, and osteogenic differentiation capacity. However, substantial inter-donor variability limits their standardized clinical application. This study investigated whether metabolic characteristics and donor-related parameters are associated with ASC osteogenic differentiation potential. ASCs were isolated from human subcutaneous adipose tissue (n = 26) and cultured under osteogenic conditions. Cell viability was evaluated at days 2 and 14, including cell proliferation (crystal violet staining), overall metabolic activity (resazurin conversion), as well as glucose uptake (2-NBDG) and mitochondrial membrane potential (TMRE). Osteogenesis was quantified by alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium deposition, and secretion of SPARC and osteocalcin. Osteogenic induction significantly enhanced osteogenic markers and mineralization across donors and was accompanied by a distinct metabolic phenotype characterized by increased proliferation, reduced per-cell metabolic activity and glucose uptake, and elevated mitochondrial membrane potential. Early (day 2) metabolic parameters did not predict subsequent mineralization capacity, whereas metabolic activity at day 14 correlated inversely with calcium deposition. Donor age, body mass index, and blood glucose levels were not significantly associated with osteogenic outcomes. These findings indicate that inter-donor variability in ASC osteogenesis is accompanied by a characteristic late-stage metabolic signature and suggest that metabolic profiling may support functional characterization of osteogenic differentiation potential.