Grafting Low-Temperature Micronized Adipose Tissue Niche to Treat Diabetic Foot Ulcers: A Pilot Study

Background: In a previous study, we suggested that micronized adipose tissue (MAT) niche could be an effective and safe treatment for diabetic foot ulcers. Fibrin glue was used to solidify the MAT niches. However, it took 40 to 50 minutes for the MAT niche to be ready for application. We have devised an alternate method in which the MAT niche is created at a low temperature to reduce the solidification time. This pilot study aimed to investigate the possibility and safety of grafting a low-temperature MAT niche for treating diabetic foot ulcers.Methods: Patients with diabetic foot ulcers who were treated with low-temperature MAT or conventional methods between March 2020 and December 2021 were included in this study. We evaluated the efficacy of the treatment by measuring the wound size reduction rate. All adverse events were recorded.Results: The MAT niche treatment group showed a statistically significant wound reduction rate during the entire study period of 4 weeks (P<0.005). The wound reduction rates in the 4th week after the treatment were 75.7%±16.9% in the treatment group and 33.5%±19.0% in the control group (P=0.001). No serious adverse events related to low-temperature MAT niche treatment were observed.Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrated the potential of low-temperature MAT niche as an effective and safe method for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.