Dose-dependent spatiotemporal comparison of cell-assisted lipotransfer between stromal vascular fraction and adipose-derived stromal cells
- 1Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- 2Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080 Korea
Abstract
Background: Autologous fat grafting is widely used in reconstructive and aesthetic surgery, yet long-term retention remains variable. Cell-assisted lipotransfer (CAL) enriches grafts with stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells or adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) to improve graft survival. Their comparative efficacy in graft remodeling remains insufficiently investigated.
Methods: Human fat tissues supplemented with graded doses of SVF cells or ASCs were grafted into nude mice. Phase I compared dose levels; Phase II evaluated graft remodeling at the optimal dose over time. Graft volume and tissue integrity were assessed using micro-CT and histological analysis.
Results: Both SVF and ASC supplementation achieved maximal retention at 105 cells (p < 0.05); higher doses showed no additional benefit. At this dose, SVF cells promoted angiogenesis, showing increased von Willebrand factor⁺ endothelial cells at weeks 1 and 2 (p < 0.001) and greater CD31⁺ coverage at week 8 (p = 0.025). ASC treatment supported sustained tissue remodeling, with significantly larger perilipin⁺ adipocyte areas (p = 0.047) and an elevated M2/M1 macrophage ratio (p = 0.009). PKH26 tracking revealed transient persistence of SVF cells, while ASCs exhibited durable engraftment accompanied by higher Ki67⁺ cell counts within the grafts (p < 0.001).
Conclusions: SVF cells and ASCs show distinct temporal roles in CAL. Tailored dosing and cell-type selection may optimize clinical fat grafting outcomes.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s13287-026-05184-1.
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BibTeX
@article{zhu2026dosedependent,
title = {{Dose-dependent spatiotemporal comparison of cell-assisted lipotransfer between stromal vascular fraction and adipose-derived stromal cells}},
author = {Ying Zhu and Sehoon Yoon and Ki Yong Hong and Hak Chang},
journal = {Stem Cell Research \& Therapy},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s13287-026-05184-1},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s13287-026-05184-1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Dose-dependent spatiotemporal comparison of cell-assisted lipotransfer between stromal vascular fraction and adipose-derived stromal cells
AU - Ying Zhu
AU - Sehoon Yoon
AU - Ki Yong Hong
AU - Hak Chang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/07
JO - Stem Cell Research & Therapy
DO - 10.1186/s13287-026-05184-1
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13287-026-05184-1
AB - Background: Autologous fat grafting is widely used in reconstructive and aesthetic surgery, yet long-term retention remains variable. Cell-assisted lipotransfer (CAL) enriches grafts with stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells or adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) to improve graft survival. Their comparative efficacy in graft remodeling remains insufficiently investigated. Methods: Human fat tissues supplemented with graded doses of SVF cells or ASCs were grafted into nude mice. Phase I compared dose levels; Phase II evaluated graft remodeling at the optimal dose over time. Graft volume and tissue integrity were assessed using micro-CT and histological analysis. Results: Both SVF and ASC supplementation achieved maximal retention at 105 cells (p < 0.05); higher doses showed no additional benefit. At this dose, SVF cells promoted angiogenesis, showing increased von Willebrand factor⁺ endothelial cells at weeks 1 and 2 (p < 0.001) and greater CD31⁺ coverage at week 8 (p = 0.025). ASC treatment supported sustained tissue remodeling, with significantly larger perilipin⁺ adipocyte areas (p = 0.047) and an elevated M2/M1 macrophage ratio (p = 0.009). PKH26 tracking revealed transient persistence of SVF cells, while ASCs exhibited durable engraftment accompanied by higher Ki67⁺ cell counts within the grafts (p < 0.001). Conclusions: SVF cells and ASCs show distinct temporal roles in CAL. Tailored dosing and cell-type selection may optimize clinical fat grafting outcomes. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s13287-026-05184-1.
SN - 1757-6512
ER -