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Erschienen in:
01.05.2009 | Editorial
Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Past, Present, and Future
Erschienen in: Aesthetic Plastic Surgery | Ausgabe 3/2009
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It is likely that in the future, the past decade in the history of plastic surgery will be remembered for the introduction of reconstructive therapies based on the use of stem cells. Of the variety of different approaches that have been proposed, those that have been most widely used in recent years, and which therefore seem most promising for the future, are those using adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells [1]. The current use and the immense promise of stem cells from adipose tissue are due largely to three aspects that make the procedure simple:
1.
The possibility of minimally invasive autologous transplants. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells are obtained by lipoaspiration followed by centrifugation. They can be directly injected into areas to be treated immediately after extraction, there in the operating theatre.
2.
Cell expansion is not necessary. As said, the cells can be injected immediately after extraction, along with the lipoaspirate that surrounds them. They do not need to be pre-expanded in vitro. To complete the concept, the addition of the lipoaspirate means that what are injected are “stem cell niches” in which the cells are surrounded by a glycoproteic scaffold, including tissue factors that would be eliminated with digestion of the matrix if treated with collagenase—an indispensable step if expansion in vitro were necessary.
3.
Age is no barrier. The procedure can be carried out at any time in a patient’s life since adipose stem cells are abundant even in the elderly and show the ability to repair lesionated tissues highly efficiently.