The emu oil emulsified in egg lecithin and butylated hydroxytoluene enhanced the proliferation, stemness gene expression, and in vitro wound healing of adipose-derived stem cells.

In recent decades, mesenchymal stem cells originated from adipose tissue (adipose-derived stem cells, ASCs) have gained increased attention for production of cell-based therapeutics. Emu oil as a natural compound showed antioxidant effects in previous studies. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of crude emu oil on the proliferation, cell cycle progression, stemness genes expression, and in vitro wound healing potential of ASCs. An emulsion of emu oil was prepared using egg lecithin and butylated hydroxytoluene to improve bioavailability and solubility of emu oil in the expansion medium. The ASCs were treated using a series of emu oil concentrations in emulsion form, diluted in expansion medium (0.03-3 mg/ml). The emu oil-free emulsion was used as control treatment. The results revealed that emu oil (1.25 mg/ml) in emulsion form significantly (p < 0.001) increased ASCs proliferation and colony formation. Additionally, emu oil caused upregulation of stemness marker genes (Sox2, Oct4, Nanog, and Nestin) (p < 0.05). The cell cycle analysis after emu oil treatments showed an increase in the population of ASCs in S-phase of the cell cycle. Besides, an accelerated in vitro scratch wound healing was observed in emu oil-treated ASCs. Emu oil enhanced proliferation, colony formation, stemness genes expression, and in vitro wound healing of ASCs. These findings suggest that emu oil treatment could maintain the stemness of ex vivo cultivated ASCs and enhance their regenerative potential.