Umeå University's logo

Fat grafting has become an established method in plastic surgery for treating soft tissue defects. The results for survival of the fat being transplanted is unpredictable and supplementation of the graft with the Stromal Vascular Fraction (SVF) or cultures Adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs) can enhance graft viability. The ASCs are a heterogenous group of cells with various cell membrane markers, and differing growth promoting and differentiation characteristics of the stem cells derived from the fat. It is of high importance when expanding cells prior to the transplantation of the cells into patients, that the culture conditions are well defined and ideally are xenofree, avoiding use of animal-derived products. Furthermore, the procedures must be safe and not increase risk for recurrence of cancer after reconstructive surgeries. This thesis explores the phenotypic properties of a selected population of ASCs, with a view to determining their suitability for transplantation into fat grafts. ASCs were isolated from SVF of human abdominal fat and CD146+ cells were selected using immunomagnetic beads. The proliferation, angiogenic and adipogenic properties were significantly higher in the CD146+ cells. Stem cells were also isolated from lipoaspirate obtained using two different liposuction methods. Waterjet lipoaspirates yielded the greatest number of CD146+ cells with high adipogenic potential and angiogenic activity. The cells could also be successfully isolated using a closed processing system. Cells were expanded in either foetal bovine serum, platelet lysate or a chemically defined xenofree (XV) medium. Cultures in XV medium proliferated the fastest, expressed the highest number of CD146+ cells, and showed the best adipogenic and angiogenic properties. To test possible ASCs interactions with cancer cells, co-cultures with MCF-7 breast cancer cells were established. Conditioned medium from co-cultures significantly increased the migration of the cancer cells but not their proliferation, and there was increased expression of Tenascin-C in these cultures. The research in this thesis work has shown more optimal ways to isolate and expand ASCs, potentially offering new therapeutic reconstructive treatment options for a variety of medical conditions.