News Release

Cleanascite™ Employed to Determine Role of Lipid-Associated Factors in Myofibroblast Conversion

MONMOUTH JUNCTION, NJ , December 12, 2023 -- Biotech Support Group reports on an article, describing the simplicity and efficiency of their lipid clearance sample preparation technology to determine the role of lipid-associated factors in adipocyte signaling and fibroblast to myofibroblast conversion . The citation is:


El-Hattab, Mariam Y., et al. "Native adiponectin plays a role in the adipocyte-mediated conversion of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts ." Journal of the Royal Society interface 20.202 (2023): 20230004.

Adipocytes regulate tissues through production of adipokines that can act both locally and systemically, playing a critical role in regulating the healing process. The authors sought to identify how mature adipocytes signal to dermal fibroblasts through adipokines to induce myofibroblast conversion. By using molecular weight fractionation, heat inactivation and lipid depletion, they determined mature adipocytes secrete a factor that is 30–100 kDa, heat labile and lipid associated that induces myofibroblast conversion. Cleanascite was used as stated: “To determine if the factor is a protein, we heat inactivated (HI) the adipocyte-conditioned media (ACM) and found that doing so completely eliminated the ability of ACM to induce α-SMA expression (figure 3a). Finally, to determine if the factor is lipid associated, we depleted lipids (LD) and lipid-associated factors using Cleanascite and found the α-SMA inducing activity of ACM was also eliminated (figure 3a) . When fractionation, heat inactivation or lipid depletion was performed on TGF-β1 containing positive control media, only the less than 30 kDa fraction and lipid-depleted ACM retained α-SMA inducing activity, findings completely expected and consistent with the physico-chemical properties of TGF-β1 (the active form of TGF-β1 is a 25 kDa dimer).”.

The authors conclude that adiponectin secreted by mature adipocytes induces fibroblast to myofibroblast conversion and may lead to a phenotype of myofibroblasts distinct from TGF-β1-induced myofibroblasts.

“We now have over thirty references, showing Cleanascite™ use in helping to identify a characteristic feature of in vitro cell response. Unlike alternative lipid-depletion methods that use solvents, Cleanascite™ is an aqueous suspension product and so it is very compatible with cellular models of disease. The essential requirement is that it maintains cellular activity, while selectively depleting lipid factors. This ultimately helps with investigations such as this, to determine whether a secreted factor is lipid-associated or not” states Swapan Roy, Ph.D., President and Founder of Biotech Support Group.

Download whitepaper entitled “ Cleanascite™ - Lipid Removal and Cell Response Applications ”, visit:

For more information visit: Cleanascite™ Lipid Removal Reagent and Clarification, at
http://www.biotechsupportgroup.com/Cleanascite-Lipid-Removal-Reagent-p/x2555.htm

Keywords: Lipid depletion, Cleanascite™, Adipocytes, adipokines, myofibroblast conversion, TGF-β

About Biotech Support Group LLC

Converging with cultural and technological disruptions forthcoming in healthcare, Biotech Support Group develops methods for cost effective and efficient sample prep essential for these expanding markets. Following a tiered business strategy, the company continues its growth in the consumable research products area supporting the rapidly expanding installation of LC-MS instrument and computational infrastructure. For this market, key products include: AlbuVoid™ and AlbuSorb™ PLUS for albumin & IgG depletion, Cleanascite ™ for lipid adsorption, HemogloBind™ and HemoVoid™ for hemoglobin removal, and NRicher™ for low abundance and family specific proteome enrichment. For more information, go to http://www.biotechsupportgroup.com.

For Business Development , contact: Matthew Kuruc 732-274-2866, mkuruc@biotechsupportgroup.com