The differentiation of early embryonic stem cells into adipocytes-like cells.

An early embryonic stem cell line, EES-6 cells, was established from 2-cell stage embryos of ddY mice. The cells were maintained in an undifferentiated state with D-MEM/F12 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) (GM) and 1 ng of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) without any feeder cells. In this study, EES cells were cultured with a medium containing embryotrophic factors (ETFs) which promoted the differentiation of EES cells into white and brown adipocytes-like cells for a period of 5 days. Lipid droplets in brown adipocyte-like cells were stained with Sudan III; however, large lipid-like droplets in white or brown adipocyte-like cells were unstained with either Sudan III or alcian blue. These findings have numerous possibilities for therapeutic use such as regeneration of skin and wound healing.