Autologous Fat Transfer for Facial Augmentation and Regeneration: Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Mesenchymal stem cells represent a great tool in regenerative medicine because of their ability to differentiate into a variety of specialized cells. Among adult tissues in which mesenchymal stem cells are resident, adipose tissue seems to be a particularly good source because it contains more multipotent cells per milliliter than bone marrow. Other advantages of adipose tissue (ease of surgical access, availability, and isolation) compared with other sources have made it the ideal large-scale source for research and clinical applications. Stem cells derived from the adipose tissue (adipose-derived stem cells) possess a unique regenerative potential: they are self-renewing, secrete a favorable cytokine pattern (angiogenic, immunosuppressive, antiinflammatory, antioxidative), and can differentiate along several tissue lineages (adipocytes, osteoblasts, myocytes, chondrocytes, endothelial cells, and cardiomyocytes).