{"title":"Comparative Evaluation of the Biodegradability and Biocompatibility of Agarose Gel and Hyaluronic Acid Filler.","authors":"Fangzhou Xie, Jiaqi Qin, Jian Sun, Qingfeng Li, Yun Xie","doi":"10.1007/s00266-025-05239-3","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The clinical success of soft tissue fillers hinges on their biodegradability and biocompatibility. While agarose gel, a clinically available filler, shows versatility across injection sites, its degradation behavior and tissue effects remain poorly understood.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to compare the biodegradability and biocompatibility of agarose gel and hyaluronic acid fillers using a rat model.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Agarose gel and hyaluronic acid were subcutaneously injected into Sprague-Dawley rats' dorsal regions. MRI scans at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months assessed filler volume and distribution. SEM examined morphology, in vitro tests measured water absorption, and histology at 12 months included HE staining and immunohistochemistry for collagen and macrophage markers.</p><p><strong>Result: </strong>Hyaluronic acid exhibited higher water absorption than agarose gel (p < 0.05). MRI revealed greater initial volume retention for hyaluronic acid (0.762 ml vs. 0.283 ml, p = 0.025), while agarose gel demonstrated a slower biodegradation rate during the first three months (86.24% vs. 61.88%, p = 0.004) and greater early-phase dispersion (109.89% vs. 65.24%, p = 0.020). At 12 months, no significant difference in final volume retention was observed. Both fillers showed good biocompatibility, with no signs of fibrosis or inflammation after one year.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings from an animal study suggest agarose gel's potential as a safe and effective alternative for soft tissue augmentation.</p><p><strong>No level assigned: </strong>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.</p>","PeriodicalId":7609,"journal":{"name":"Aesthetic Plastic Surgery","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Aesthetic Plastic Surgery","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-025-05239-3","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"SURGERY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: The clinical success of soft tissue fillers hinges on their biodegradability and biocompatibility. While agarose gel, a clinically available filler, shows versatility across injection sites, its degradation behavior and tissue effects remain poorly understood.
Objective: This study aimed to compare the biodegradability and biocompatibility of agarose gel and hyaluronic acid fillers using a rat model.
Method: Agarose gel and hyaluronic acid were subcutaneously injected into Sprague-Dawley rats' dorsal regions. MRI scans at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months assessed filler volume and distribution. SEM examined morphology, in vitro tests measured water absorption, and histology at 12 months included HE staining and immunohistochemistry for collagen and macrophage markers.
Result: Hyaluronic acid exhibited higher water absorption than agarose gel (p < 0.05). MRI revealed greater initial volume retention for hyaluronic acid (0.762 ml vs. 0.283 ml, p = 0.025), while agarose gel demonstrated a slower biodegradation rate during the first three months (86.24% vs. 61.88%, p = 0.004) and greater early-phase dispersion (109.89% vs. 65.24%, p = 0.020). At 12 months, no significant difference in final volume retention was observed. Both fillers showed good biocompatibility, with no signs of fibrosis or inflammation after one year.
Conclusion: These findings from an animal study suggest agarose gel's potential as a safe and effective alternative for soft tissue augmentation.
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.
期刊介绍:
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery is a publication of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the official journal of the European Association of Societies of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (EASAPS), Società Italiana di Chirurgia Plastica Ricostruttiva ed Estetica (SICPRE), Vereinigung der Deutschen Aesthetisch Plastischen Chirurgen (VDAPC), the Romanian Aesthetic Surgery Society (RASS), Asociación Española de Cirugía Estética Plástica (AECEP), La Sociedad Argentina de Cirugía Plástica, Estética y Reparadora (SACPER), the Rhinoplasty Society of Europe (RSE), the Iranian Society of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgeons (ISPAS), the Singapore Association of Plastic Surgeons (SAPS), the Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS), the Egyptian Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ESPRS), and the Sociedad Chilena de Cirugía Plástica, Reconstructiva y Estética (SCCP).
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery provides a forum for original articles advancing the art of aesthetic plastic surgery. Many describe surgical craftsmanship; others deal with complications in surgical procedures and methods by which to treat or avoid them. Coverage includes "second thoughts" on established techniques, which might be abandoned, modified, or improved. Also included are case histories; improvements in surgical instruments, pharmaceuticals, and operating room equipment; and discussions of problems such as the role of psychosocial factors in the doctor-patient and the patient-public interrelationships.
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery is covered in Current Contents/Clinical Medicine, SciSearch, Research Alert, Index Medicus-Medline, and Excerpta Medica/Embase.