Adenosine washing improves the retention rate of fat grafts under conditions of obesity

Background Fat grafting is a commonly employed aesthetic procedure for contour enhancement. However, outcome prediction is challenging due to the complex regeneration and remodeling processes involved. We investigated whether adenosine improves engraftment and fat graft survival under conditions of obesity. Methods Fat was harvested from mice fed a high-fat diet. This fat was washed with either Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate HEPES buffer (the vehicle group) or a buffer containing 500 nM adenosine (the adenosine wash group). Subsequently, the fat was transplanted into normal mice at 0.2 mL per mouse. In both groups, 50% of the mice were sacrificed at 1 week and the remainder at 4 weeks post-transplantation. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis was conducted during week 1. In week 4, micro-computed tomography, immunofluorescence staining, and RT-qPCR were performed. A sample of the initially harvested fat was set aside for lipolysis assay. Results Adenosine washing improved fat graft retention volumes by up to 50%. One week post-transplantation, the expression of adipogenic and angiogenic genes was found to be upregulated in the adenosine wash group. After 4 weeks, immunofluorescence staining revealed greater adipocyte integrity and an increased number of vessels. Furthermore, adenosine appeared to modulate inflammation by stabilizing the lipolysis rate. Conclusions Adenosine washing increased the fat graft survival rate under conditions of obesity. Clinically, this suggests a simple, cost-effective adjuvant method for improving fat graft survival in individuals with obesity. Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and explore the applicability of this technique for autologous transplantation.