Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are attracting increased attention as a novel source in regenerative medicine. Transplantation of ADSCs promotes functional recovery in animal models of peripheral nerve injury, but the mechanism of enhanced nerve regeneration remains to be elucidated. In addition, it is important to examine whether the supportive functions of ADSCs are dependent on donor age or anatomic site of origin. In this study, we examined the effects of factors produced by mouse ADSCs on Schwann cells (SCs) and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in vitro and compared these effects among ADSCs from donors of different age and from different anatomic regions. ADSC-derived soluble factors supported survival and proliferation of SCs and promoted neurite outgrowth in DRG neurons. These beneficial effects were far superior to that of factors from 3T3-L1 cells and comparable to those of SC- and astrocyte (AC)-derived factors. ADSCs from different sources similarly retained their neurotrophic activity. Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analyses demonstrated that ADSCs produced various growth factors, some of which were more abundant than in SCs and ACs. These results suggest that ADSCs promote peripheral nerve regeneration partly through paracrine secretion of trophic factors and regardless of donor age or anatomic site of origin.

Heparin increased the haematoma formation, but did not change the incidence of free-flap failure. Thus, the intravenous low-dose heparin use does not affect microvascular flap survival.

Transplanted adipose-derived stem cells did not differentiate into Schwann cells but promoted peripheral nerve regeneration at the injured site. The neuroregenerative ability was comparable to that of Schwann cells. Adipose-derived stem cells at an undifferentiated stage may be used as an alternative cell source for autologous cell therapy for patients with peripheral nerve injury.

Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are a promising new therapeutic modality for several diseases and have been applied to various clinical fields because of their multidifferentiation potential and capacity for growth-factor secretion. Recently, 2 in vivo studies showed ADSCs to have potential applications in lymphedema therapy. However, it remains unclear whether ADSCs have direct effects on lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs). In this study, human LECs were treated with murine ADSC-derived conditioned media. Changes in LEC proliferation, migration, and tube formation were assessed by WST-8 assay, transwell chamber assay, and Matrigel-based tube formation assay, respectively, with recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor-C used as a positive control. Additionally, the expression of several lymphangiogenic factors in ADSCs was examined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Factors secreted by ADSCs induced LEC proliferation, migration, and tube formation more potently than recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor-C. We confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that some of the lymphangiogenic factors of ADSCs were dramatically up-regulated under serum-starved conditions. These data indicate that ADSCs could directly contribute to lymphangiogenesis via secretory factors in vitro and may thus provide a therapeutic modality for patients with lymphedema.

Recent studies have shown that adipose-derived stromal/stem cells (ASCs) contain phenotypically and functionally heterogeneous subpopulations of cells, but their developmental origin and their relative differentiation potential remain elusive. In the present study, we aimed at investigating how and to what extent the neural crest contributes to ASCs using Cre-loxP-mediated fate mapping. ASCs harvested from subcutaneous fat depots of either adult P0-Cre/or Wnt1-Cre/Floxed-reporter mice contained a few neural crest-derived ASCs (NCDASCs). This subpopulation of cells was successfully expanded in vitro under standard culture conditions and their growth rate was comparable to non-neural crest derivatives. Although NCDASCs were positive for several mesenchymal stem cell markers as non-neural crest derivatives, they exhibited a unique bipolar or multipolar morphology with higher expression of markers for both neural crest progenitors (p75NTR, Nestin, and Sox2) and preadipocytes (CD24, CD34, S100, Pref-1, GATA2, and C/EBP-delta). NCDASCs were able to differentiate into adipocytes with high efficiency but their osteogenic and chondrogenic potential was markedly attenuated, indicating their commitment to adipogenesis. In vivo, a very small proportion of adipocytes were originated from the neural crest. In addition, p75NTR-positive neural crest-derived cells were identified along the vessels within the subcutaneous adipose tissue, but they were negative for mural and endothelial markers. These results demonstrate that ASCs contain neural crest-derived adipocyte-restricted progenitors whose phenotype is distinct from that of non-neural crest derivatives.

The development of soft tissue regeneration has recently gained importance due to safety concerns about artificial breast implants. Current autologous fat graft implantations can result in up to 90% of volume loss in long-term outcomes due to their limited revascularization. Adipose tissue has a highly vascularized structure which enables its proper homeostasis as well as its endocrine function. Mature adipocytes surrounded by a dense vascular network are the specific features required for efficient regeneration of the adipose tissue to perform host anastomosis after its implantation. Recently, bioprinting has been introduced as a promising solution to recreate in vitro this architecture in large-scale tissues. However, the in vitro induction of both the angiogenesis and adipogenesis differentiations from stem cells yields limited maturation states for these two pathways. To overcome these issues, we report a novel method for obtaining a fully vascularized adipose tissue reconstruction using supporting bath bioprinting. For the first time, directly isolated mature adipocytes encapsulated in a bioink containing physiological collagen microfibers (CMF) were bioprinted in a gellan gum supporting bath. These multilayered bioprinted tissues retained high viability even after 7 days of culture. Moreover, the functionality was also confirmed by the maintenance of fatty acid uptake from mature adipocytes. Therefore, this method of constructing fully functional adipose tissue regeneration holds promise for future clinical applications.

Background:Surgical cutting guides are used in mandibular reconstruction involving osteotomy of the mandible and fibula. Cutting guides produced using computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) technologies have been reported recently. These guides aim to increase the benefits to patients by improving the accuracy, shortening the operating time, and correcting occlusion. However, the availability of these advanced technologies is limited in some regions of the world. To test whether we could produce low-cost surgical cutting guides, we made surgical guides and investigated their accuracy.Methods:Using free CAD software, we designed surgical cutting guides for the mandible and fibula and used these to perform virtual mandibular segmental osteotomies and fibula transplants in 12 model surgeries. The cutting guides were printed on a 3-dimensional (3D) printer. The model surgeries were performed using 3D mandibular models and cutting guides to check their accuracy. Deviations between the virtually simulated plan and the actual model surgery were investigated.Results:CAD and CAM technologies were used to design and 3D print the cutting guides and models. The guided surgeries were performed. The deviations were about 1.3 mm for mandibular osteotomy, less than 1 mm for fibular osteotomy, and within 2.4 mm for reconstructions of the mandible.Conclusions:Without using expensive software or products, we were able to design surgical cutting guides for the mandible and fibula and used these to perform virtual simulation of mandibular segmental osteotomy and fibular reconstruction. Model surgeries using 3D-printed surgical guides showed that the accuracy of reconstruction was within a 3-mm deviation. In circumstances where commercial CAD/CAM guides are not available, it may be possible to use CAD/CAM surgical guides in the clinic if doctors are willing to volunteer their time for the design and printing.

HMGA1 is a potential target for novel therapeutic modalities for metastatic renal cell carcinoma.