2022, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (22): 3573-3579

Hydrogel-based adipose tissue engineering strategies for vascularization

Wu Shuhan1, 2, Zhu Xulong2, 3, Bai Lu1, 2, Zhang Feifei1, 2, Lin Guangshuai1, 2, Li Jiang1, 4, Du Jia1, 2, Li Jianhui2   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: At present, the construction of engineered adipose tissue through seed cells, scaffold materials and extracellular microenvironment is one of the most potential directions for use in soft-tissue defect reconstructions. However, graft resorption attributed to lack of effective vascular network and blood supply is a major limitation for wider application of adipose tissue engineering.
OBJECTIVE: To review the related research on how to establish a blood vessel network and effective engineered adipose tissue vascularization based on hydrogel scaffold.
METHODS: The computer was used to search for articles on CNKI, Wanfang, and PubMed databases from January 2010 to June 2020. The search terms were “tissue engineering, adipose tissue, adipose-derived stem cell, hydrogel, vascularization” in Chinese and English. Relevant articles were summarized and finally 88 articles were included to analyze the results.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: There are four main vascularization strategies for tissue engineered fat constructed with hydrogel materials: Tissue engineering chamber model; adipose-derived stem cells co-cultured with vascular endothelial cells; hydrogel scaffolds loaded with cytokines; application of suitable hydrogel scaffold with angiogenic properties. Therefore, the application of hydrogel materials to establish highly biomimetic adipose tissue units, combined with effective vascularization techniques, will further improve the efficiency of soft tissues repair and reconstruction.
Key words: tissue engineering, fat, adipose tissue, scaffold material, hydrogel, vascularization, adipose-derived stem cell, review