The use of autologous fat grafting in breast reconstruction still requires optimization. Fat survival and calcification are the main issues that affect the outcomes of the procedure. In this study, a cell-based therapy utilizing laminin-alginate beads (LABs) as carriers was proposed to promote cell survival and adipogenesis by providing short-term physical support and facilitate nutrient diffusion of the implants. Laminin-modified alginate beads were fabricated by immobilizing laminin onto ring-opened alginate, used to encapsulate 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, and evaluated in vitro and in vivo. LABs as preadipocyte carriers showed better biocompatibility and stability than unmodified alginate beads. Preadipocytes in LABs had higher survival rate and enhanced adipogenesis than those in unmodified alginate beads. In vivo studies showed that LABs gradually degraded and the sites were replaced by newly formed fat tissues, and new blood vessels were also observed. 7T-MRI study mimicking clinical fat grafting showed that LABs carrying adipose stem cells improved the results of conventional fat grafts. Therefore, we believe that LABs represent promising cell carriers and can be potentially used for the reconstruction of breasts or other soft tissues in the future.
Keywords: adipogenesis; cell-assisted lipotransfer; fat survival; laminin-alginate bead; preadipocytes.