A pilot study on ex vivo expanded autologous adipose-derived stem cells of improving fat retention in localized scleroderma patients.

Several human studies show positive signals, while research methods and sample sizes continue to develop.

• 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)

In patients with localized scleroderma (LoS), facial deformity induced by subcutaneous atrophy greatly reduces life quality. Autologous fat grafting (AFG) is used for volume restoration but with low-fat retention due to various reasons. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have shown potential effects in improving fat retention. We aimed to compare the feasibility and efficacy of improving fat retention in LoS patients among the ADSCs-assisted, the stromal vascular fraction (SVF)-assisted and conventional AFG methods. A pilot study with a 6-month follow-up among 18 LoS patients was conducted. Participants were randomly assigned into three AFG groups: conventional group, SVF-assisted group, and ADSCs-assisted group. The SVF-assisted group received SVF-assisted AFG at the SVF:fat ratio of 1:1. The ADSCs-assisted group received the mixture of ADSCs-enriched fat graft supplemented with 5 × 10 5 ADSCs/mL fat. Volume retention was measured by magnetic resonance imaging, and clinical photographs were taken for outcome evaluation. At sixth-month follow-up, the fat retention of ADSCs-assisted group was 49.83 ± 3.61%, significantly higher than 31.75 ± 1.73% of SVF-assisted group (P = .0004), and 21.86 ± 1.68% of the conventional group (P < .0001). A significant difference of the fat retention was also observed between the SVF-assisted and conventional group (P = .0346). No severe adverse e

Evidence level

Several human studies show positive signals, while research methods and sample sizes continue to develop.

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