Transplantation of rat adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) to improve the survival of autologous aspirated fat grafts

Although autologous lipoaspirated fat grafting is now the most commonly used technique for soft tissue augmentation, problems, such as, unpredictability and a low rate of graft survival remain. The purpose of this study was to compare the long-term viabilities of aspirated fat grafts mixed with adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs; the experimental group) and aspirated fat grafts alone (the control group). Autologous aspirated fats were taken from the interscapular area and transplanted under scalp skin with or without ASCs. Remaining fat volumes were measured at 8 and 12 weeks after transplantation. Numbers of fat cells were randomly measured by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Mean autologous fat volumes in the experimental and control groups at week 8 were 0.410±0.040 ml and 0.418±0.043 ml, respectively, and at week 12 were 0.227±0.025 ml and 0.363±0.047 ml, respectively. Adding ASCs increased the survival rate of transplanted autologous fats at week 12 (p=0.006), and many new blood vessels formed in the outer layer of transplanted tissues by gross examination. H&E staining showed that the density of adipocytes in the experimental group was significantly higher than in the control group (p=0.033). The present study suggest that ASCs improve the survival of autologous fat grafts at 12 weeks after transplantation, which supports the notion that adding ASCs at time of lipotransfer helps maintain soft tissue augmentation.