Anaerobic fat transfers and emulsifiers for autologous fat grafting

Abstract

Autologous fat grafting is one of the most popular procedures in modern surgery. Adipose tissue, harvested by lipectomy, consists of two main fractions: fat cells, which are used in volumization, and stromal vascular fraction, which is the main source of stem cells and growth factors. In this study we analyzed the devices, such as fat filters and emulsifiers, and the results of fat processing.Initially fat harvested by lipectomy is not homogeneous, but consists of conglomerates of adipocytes. The usage of fat filters improves the rheology of fat by reducing the size of them. The fat emulsifiers purify fat from the connective tissue, leaving it on the grid.In this study, the number of destroyed adipocytes increased, and the number of viable fibroblast-like cells decreased significantly with each passage through the 1.4 mm and 1.2 mm filters.Each passage through a nanofilter with a mesh diameter of 0.5 mm reduced the number of viable fibroblast-like cells. With a decrease in the number of passages, the desired result is preserved: fibroblast-like cells remain viable, with a minimal number of adipocytes remaining. When the filter is changed and the cell diameter is reduced, adipocytes are destroyed to a significantly greater extent, and fibroblast-like cells do not suffer. The use of 1-3 passages through a nanofilter keeps viable up to 16-20% of fibroblast-like cells, while the use of a nanofilter with a smallest diameter of 0.15 mm destroys the fat cells already after 3 passages.The choice of filter type should be based on the desired result. To obtain the viable adipocytes while maintaining fibroblast-like cells, it is advisable to use untreated fat or a filter with a maximum diameter of, for example, 1.4 mm. It is advisable to use a 1.2 mm filter to maintain the same number of fibroblast-like cells, but less number of adipocytes. The use of nanofilters is recommend to use when it is necessary to disconnect adipocytes as much as possible, or destroy them, preserving only stromal cells.