Adipose-derived stem cells(ASCs) as potential seeded cells have been widely used in tissue engineering. Thus to obtain enough, high activity, high purity adipose-derived stem cells is the particular important premise of the application in tissue engineering. In this paper, the isolation and purification methods of ASCs were reviewed and the merit and demerit of different methods were compared in order to provide theoretical basis for safe and high-effective isolation and purification of ASCs.