Adipose tissue: A valuable resource of biomaterials for soft tissue engineering

Extracellular matrices (ECMs), isolated through decellularization of mammalian tissues, have been successfully used in a variety of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. The composition and spatial structure of ECMs provide not only specific instructive cues for the growth, migration, and differentiation of various cells in vitro, but afford ideal substrates for in vivo tissue reconstruction. Adipose tissue, which is the most prevalent and expendable tissue in the body and can be harvested in large quantities with minimal morbidity, has received much attention as a rich source of ECMs. Recent studies have designed different processes to isolate intact ECMs from adipose tissue and have fabricated various three-dimensional (3-D) tissue engineering scaffolds such as microparticles, powders, sponges, sheets, and hydrogels for use in regenerative medicine, particularly for patients requiring soft tissue regeneration. Indeed, because of the abundance of ECM components within adipose tissue, combined with the relative ease of large tissue harvesting, adipose tissue is a valuable resource in tissue regeneration therapy, encompassing autotransplantation, allotransplantation, and xenotransplantion. We briefly review extraction and decellularization techniques of ECMs from adipose tissue, biological characterization and fabrication of ECM-based tissue engineering scaffolds, and their use in soft tissue engineering.