Abstract
Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) transplanted along with autologous adipose tissue may improve fat graft survival; however, the efficacy of ASCs has been diluted by low vascularization. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) may improve the effects of ASCs because it owns the property to boost angiogenesis. In the present study, human fat tissues were mixed with ASCs, ASCs plus 100 U bFGF, or medium as the control and then injected subcutaneously into immunologically compromised nude mice for 12 weeks. Our findings demonstrated that mixture with the ASCs significantly increased the weight and volume of the fat grafts compared to control grafts, and histological analysis revealed that both ASCs and ASCs plus bFGF grafts consisted predominantly of adipose tissue and had significantly less fibrosis but greater microvascular density compared with control and also grafts mixed with ASCs had a high expression of angiogenic factors. More importantly, the bFGF treated fat grafts shown elevate in survival, vascularization, and angiogenic factors expression when compared with the grafts that received ASCs alone. These results indicated that bFGF together with ASCs can enhance the efficacy of autologous fat transplantation and increase blood vessel generation involved in the benefits from bFGF.
Highlights
Autologous fat transplantation for soft tissue augmentation to reconstruct inborn or acquired tissue defects is an increasingly ideal method in the field of plastic surgery
To confirm the cells as stem cell, cells were examined by immunohistochemistry for expression of CD markers and most were found to be positive for CD29, CD44, and CD105 (Figures 1(b)–1(d)), but negative for CD34 and CD45 (Figures 1(e) and 1(f))
Due to the mechanical injury during the liposuction procedure, the microvessels are destroyed the basic structure of adipose tissue can be preserved in aspirated fat [2], which makes the aspirated fat used for transplanting contain fewer microvessels; undoubtedly, the efficiency of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) has diminished by the relative deficiency of microvessels in transplants [1, 15]
Summary
Autologous fat transplantation for soft tissue augmentation to reconstruct inborn or acquired tissue defects is an increasingly ideal method in the field of plastic surgery. The low survival rate and high reabsorption rate of the transplanted fat reduce the efficacy of this technique [1]. Using better methods to improve the efficacy of fat transplantation got more attentions. With the development in stem cell research, Matsumoto et al described a novel technique of autologous tissue transfer [2], named cell-assisted lipotransfer (CAL). For CAL, adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) were harvested and transplanted along with autologous adipose tissue. Emerging evidence found that vascularization insufficient is another obstacle for fat grafts survival including in CAL [5]. Promoting the generation of blood vessels shall be beneficial to boost the efficacy of CAL
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