Within adipose tissue (AT), different macrophage subsets have been described, which played pivotal and specific roles in upholding tissue homeostasis under both physiological and pathological conditions. Nonetheless, studying resident macrophages
Stroma-vascular cells isolated from murine subcutaneous AT were seeded on ultra-low adherent plates in the presence of macrophage colony-stimulating factor. After 4 days of culture, the cells spontaneously aggregate to form spheroids. A week later, macrophages begin to spread out of the spheroid and adhere to the culture plate.
This innovative three-dimensional (3D) culture method enables the generation of functional mature macrophages that present distinct genic and phenotypic characteristics compared to bone marrow–derived macrophages. They also show specific metabolic activity and polarization in response to stimulation, but similar phagocytic capacity. Additionally, based on single-cell analysis, AT-macrophages generated in 3D culture mirror the phenotypic and functional traits of
Our study describes a 3D