The biology of adipose tissue and clinical use of its progenitor cells for soft tissue augmentation

摘要

Adipose-derived stem/progenitor/stromal cells (ASCs) have been biologically and functionally characterized and are expected to become valuable tools in a wide range of cell-based therapies. Adipose tissue turns over very slowly and its perivascular progenitor cells differentiate into adipocytes in the next generation. The progenitor cells play important roles in physiological turnover, hyperplasia, and atrophy of adipose tissue; as well as in incidental remodeling, such as post-injury repair [1]. Through collagenase digestion of lipoaspirates, stromal vascular fraction (SVF) can be easily obtained in a short time, which is a mixture of heterogeneous cell populations and contains ASCs and vascular endothelial cells, as well as blood-derived cell populations [2].