Preadipocytes are the precursors of fat cells (adipocytes) but they are hard to study in the body as they are uncommon. Thus, scientists have developed a cell culture model of adipocyte differentiation to understand the steps involved. It is hoped that by chemically blocking one or more of these steps, it will be possible to stop adipocyte development and thus prevent obesity.

When cells called fibroblasts are treated with a combination of growth factors, they become preadipocytes. In this experiment, your students will be able to see the difference between adipocytes and preadipocytes by staining with Oil Red O.