Abstract

Soft-tissue loss presents an ongoing challenge in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Standard approaches to soft-tissue reconstruction include autologous tissue flaps, autologous fat transplantation and alloplastic implants. All of these approaches have disadvantages, including donor-site morbidity, implant migration and absorption and foreign body reaction. Stem cell application has recently been suggested as a possible novel therapy. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are an abundant, readily available population of multipotent progenitor cells that reside in adipose tissue, which is an easily accessible and abundant source of putative stem cells for translational clinical research. Their therapeutic use in pre-clinical studies and experimental clinical trials has been well documented. We present the current strategies of tissue engineering with ADSC and we discuss the possible future applications of this new method in the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Complete understanding of the mechanisms of interactions among adipose stem cells, growth factors and biomaterials in tissue engineering is still lacking. Adipose tissue stem cell-based regenerative strategies hold tremendous promise, although this potential must be balanced against stringent standards of scientific and clinical investigation, before developing 'off-the-shelf' tissue engineering products.

Copyright © 2009 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.