Unlocking Potential: Low Bovine Serum Albumin Enhances the Chondrogenicity of Human Adipose-Derived Stromal Cells in Pellet Cultures

TL;DR

Lower bovine serum albumin (BSA) levels improve cartilage formation from human fat cells, but the effect varies between donors.

Contribution

This is the first study to show that low BSA concentration enhances chondrogenesis and induces hypertrophy in hASCs.

Findings

Low BSA concentration enhances chondrogenesis in human adipose-derived stromal cells.

Donor variability classifies hASCs into high and low responders to low BSA conditions.

Low BSA also induces hypertrophy, suggesting a link between chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation.

Abstract

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) plays a crucial role in cell culture media, influencing cellular processes such as proliferation and differentiation. Although it is commonly included in chondrogenic differentiation media, its specific function remains unclear. This study explores the effect of different BSA concentrations on the chondrogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stromal/stem cells (hASCs). hASC pellets from six donors were cultured under chondrogenic conditions with three BSA concentrations. Surprisingly, a lower BSA concentration led to enhanced chondrogenesis. The degree of this effect was donor-dependent, classifying them into two groups: (1) high responders, forming at least 35% larger, differentiated pellets with low BSA in comparison to high BSA; (2) low responders, which benefitted only slightly from low BSA doses with a decrease in pellet size and marginal differentiation, indicative of low intrinsic differentiation potential. In all cases, increased chondrogenesis was accompanied by hypertrophy under low BSA concentrations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing improved chondrogenicity and the tendency for hypertrophy with low BSA concentration compared to standard levels. Once the tendency for hypertrophy is understood, the determination of BSA concentration might be used to tune hASC chondrogenic or osteogenic differentiation.

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