Natural and synthetic materials have been developed to provide a three-dimensional (3-D) scaffold that mimics the extracellular matrix properties for tissue regeneration and reconstruction. On account of the excellent biological and mechanical properties, diverse decellularized tissue materials have been developed as natural scaffolds. Among them, decellularized adipose tissue (DAT) has generated great interest in recent years due to the extensiveness of the source and the eximious potential to enhance the regeneration and repair of damaged tissues. In this review, we compared the different physical, chemical, and biological treatment in recorded decellularization methods, and illustrated the similarities and differences in the characteristics of various aspects of DATs prepared by different methods, including macroscopic (macro) and microcosmic (micro) structure, cellular contents removal, DNA quantification, collagen, glycosaminoglycan (GAG) or growth factors retention, and mechanical properties. We also summarized the DAT application in the studies of tissue regeneration, wound healing, drug screening, and other diseases. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A:2562-2573, 2018.
Keywords: DAT application; characteristics of DAT; decellularization methods; decellularized adipose tissue.
© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.