Exosomes Derived from Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Cannot Distinctively Promote Graft Survival in Cryopreservation Fat Grafting

Background Cryopreserved fat has limited clinical applications due to its rapid absorption, high degree of fibrosis, and risk of complications after grafting. Many studies have verified that Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (ADSC-Exos) can improve fresh fat graft survival. This study assessed whether ADSC-Exos could improve the survival of cryopreserved fat grafts. Methods Exosomes were isolated from human ADSCs were subcutaneously engrafted with adipose tissues stored under different conditions (fresh; cryopreserved for 1 month) into the backs of BALB/c nude mice (n = 24), and exosomes or PBS were administered weekly. Grafts were harvested at 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks, and fat retention rate, histologic, and immunohistochemical analyses were conducted. Results At 1, 2, and 4 weeks after the transfer, cryopreserved fat grafts in groups of exosome-treated showed better fat integrity, fewer oil cysts, and reduced fibrosis. Further investigations of macrophage infiltration and neo-vascularization revealed that those exosomes increased the number of M2 macrophages at 2 and 4 weeks (p < 0.05), but had limited impact on vascularization (p < 0.05). It's important to note that no significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed between the two groups in both histological and immunohistochemical evaluations at 8 weeks post-transplantation. Conclusions This study suggests that ADSC-Exos could improve the survival of cryopreserved fat grafts in the short term (within 4 weeks), but the overall improvement was poor (after 8 weeks). This suggests that the utility of using ADSC-Exos to treat cryopreserved adipose tissue grafts is limited. No Level Assigned This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each submission to which Evidence-Based Medicine rankings are applicable. This excludes Review Articles, Book Reviews, and manuscripts that concern Basic Science, Animal Studies, Cadaver Studies, and Experimental Studies. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Automated summary

This study found that using adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (ADSC-Exos) can improve the short-term survival of cryopreserved fat grafts (within 4 weeks), but the overall improvement is limited in the long-term (after 8 weeks).