Objective  To explore the effective induction scheme for differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADMSC) to insulin producing cell (IPC).

Methods  Different schemes of small molecule compound were used to induce the differentiation of ADMSC. The purity of cells was analyzed by flow cytometry and the morphological changes of cells were observed under the microscope. The quality, performance and insulin related indicators of cells were detected by hematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemical staining. The maturity and activity of cells were detected by dithizone (DTZ) and diacetylfluorescein/propidium iodide staining. The induction effect of ADMSC differentiated into IPC was analyzed.

Results  The purity of ADMSC reached more than 99%, and the sphere forming properties of schemes Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ were good. Cell induction mass, the expression effects of pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 (PDX1), musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog A (MAFA) and insulin and C peptide of schemes Ⅰ were both better than those of other schemes. The DTZ staining depth may be related to IPC maturity, among which the number of apoptotic cells in scheme Ⅰ was significantly less than that of scheme Ⅱ and Ⅲ.

Conclusions  Induction scheme Ⅰ may improve the differentiation efficiency of ADMSC to IPC and lay a certain foundation for future clinical IPC transplantation applications.