Human clinical experience with adipose precursor cells seeded on hyaluronic acid-based spongy scaffolds

Histioconductive approaches to soft-tissue defects use scaffolds seeded with lineage- and tissue-specific progenitors to generate tissue which should reside in equilibrium with adjacent tissue. Scaffolds guide histiogenesis by ensuring cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions. Hyaluronic acid-based (HA) preadipocyte-seeded scaffolds were evaluated for their adipo-conductive potential and efficacy in humans. Preadipocytes were isolated from lipoaspirate material and seeded on HA scaffolds. The cellular bio-hybrid (ADIPOGRAFT®) and an acellular control scaffold (HYAFF®11) were implanted subcutaneously. At specific time points (2, 8 and 16 weeks) explants were analyzed histopathologically with immunohistochemistry. No adverse tissue effects occurred. Volume loss and consistent degradation of the HYAFF®11 scaffolds compared to the ADIPOGRAFT® group indicated progressive tissue integration. No consistent histological differences between both groups were observed. By 8 weeks all void spaces within the scaffolds were filled with cells with pronounced matrix deposition in the ADIPOGRAFT® bio-hybrids. Here we show that HA scaffolds were stable cell carriers and had the potential to generate volume-retaining tissue. However, no adipogenic differentiation was observed within the preadipocyte-seeded scaffolds.