What is the difference between visceral and subcutaneous HWP, and when should each cell type be used?

PromoCell Human White Preadipocytes (HWP) are isolated from either subcutaneous or visceral fat tissue, which differ in location, physiological role, and disease relevance.

Subcutaneous fat
Location: Directly beneath the skin
Physiological role: Acts as the primary and physiological energy storage depot
Disease association: Generally not directly linked to obesity‑related metabolic diseases
Use case: Suitable for studies on normal adipocyte biology, energy storage, and baseline adipogenesis

Visceral fat
Location: In the abdominal cavity, surrounding internal organs (e.g. kidney, heart, bladder)
Physiological role: Expands when subcutaneous storage capacity is exceeded or adipogenesis is impaired
Disease association: Strongly linked to hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease
Use case: Preferred for research on metabolic disorders, insulin resistance, inflammation, and cardiometabolic risk
 
Functional differences
Adipocytes derived from subcutaneous and visceral fat differ in several functional aspects, including:

• Response to insulin and other hormones
• Lipolytic activity
• Endocrine and metabolic behavior

The choice between the two cell types therefore depends on the study objective.