Hybrid adipogenic implants from adipose stem cells for soft tissue reconstruction in vivo.

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

A critical barrier in tissue regeneration is scale-up. Bioengineered adipose tissue implants have been limited to ∼10 mm in diameter. Here, we devised a 40-mm hybrid implant with a cellular layer encapsulating an acellular core. Human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) were seeded in alginate. Poly(ethylene)glycol-diacrylate (PEGDA) was photopolymerized into 40-mm-diameter dome-shaped gel. Alginate-ASC suspension was painted onto PEGDA surface. Cultivation of hybrid constructs ex vivo in adipogenic medium for 28 days showed no delamination. Upon 4-week in vivo implantation in athymic rats, hybrid implants well integrated with host subcutaneous tissue and could only be surgically separated. Vascularized adipose tissue regenerated in the thin, painted alginate layer only if ASC-derived adipogenic cells were delivered. Contrastingly, abundant fibrous tissue filled ASC-free alginate layer encapsulating the acellular PEGDA core in control implants. Human-specific peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) was detected in human ASC-seeded implants. Interestingly, rat-specific PPAR-γ was absent in either human ASC-seeded or ASC-free implants. Glycerol content in ASC-delivered implants was significantly greater than that in ASC-free implants. Remarkably, rat-specific platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM) was detected in both ASC-seeded and ASC-free implants, sug

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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