Stochastic modeling of proliferation and differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocyte cells

Tissue-engineered adipose can be used as a fat substitute for several clinical procedures. We developed a stochastic model that simulated 3T3-L1 pre-adipocyte cultures within a microscope´s field of view (FOV), from the day of seeding through culture day 37. We referred to the following cellular processes as stochastic events, which occur at constant probabilities: cell adhesion, mitosis, adipocyte lineage commitment, and apoptosis. Our model provided the following measures: percentage lipid area per FOV, the mean number of lipid droplets in a cell, and their mean size. By calibrating our model parameters with respect to experimental data from 3T3-L1 cultures, we found that the probabilities for mitosis, growing after division and becoming committed after division are 0.4, 0.8, and 0.02, respectively. These findings can be used for predicting adipogenesis in a monolayer over time. Accordingly, this model may serve as a useful tool for developing engineered adipose tissues.