Microvascular Fragments: More Than Just Natural Vascularization Units

Adipose tissue–derived microvascular fragments serve as natural vascularization units in angiogenesis research and tissue engineering due to their ability to rapidly reassemble into microvascular networks. Recent studies indicate that they exhibit additional unique properties that may be beneficial...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in biotechnology (Regular ed.) 2021-01, Vol.39 (1), p.24-33
Main Authors: Laschke, Matthias W., Später, Thomas, Menger, Michael D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adipose tissue
Angiogenesis
Biomaterials
Biomedical materials
Blood vessels
Cells (biology)
Collagen
Cultivation
Diabetes
Endothelium
Fragments
Growth factors
Hydrogels
Immunomodulation
lymphangiogenesis
Mesenchyme
microvascular fragments
Microvasculature
Morphology
Osseointegration
Physiology
Precision medicine
Progenitor cells
Regeneration
Stem cells
Stromal cells
Surgical implants
Tissue engineering
Transplants & implants
Vascularization
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Adipose tissue–derived microvascular fragments serve as natural vascularization units in angiogenesis research and tissue engineering due to their ability to rapidly reassemble into microvascular networks. Recent studies indicate that they exhibit additional unique properties that may be beneficial for a wide range of future biomedical applications. Their angiogenic activity can be increased during short-term cultivation as a means of adapting their vascularization capacity to patient-specific needs. Moreover, they are a source of endothelial progenitor cells, multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells, and lymphatic vessel fragments. Finally, they exert immunomodulatory effects, determining the tissue integration of implanted biomaterials. Hence, microvascular fragments represent versatile building blocks for the improvement of vascularization, organotypic tissue formation, lymphatic regeneration, and implant integration. Microvascular fragments represent natural vascularization units that rapidly reassemble into new, blood-perfused microvascular networks after their transfer into tissue defects.Microvascular fragments can be stored for short and long time periods, and their vascularization capacity can be increased by exposure to physical and biochemical stimuli.Microvascular fragments contain significant amounts of stem cells that reside within their physiological niche and thus may be used as the only source for the generation of vascularized tissue-specific substitutes.Microvascular fragment isolates are a source of lymphatic vessel fragments for lymphatic tissue engineering and lymphedema therapy.The immune cells in microvascular fragment isolates fulfill an immunomodulatory function that determines the biocompatibility and tissue integration of implanted biomaterials.
ISSN:0167-7799
1879-3096
DOI:10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.06.001