Researchers have developed a method for 3D application of functional adipose tissue that greatly accelerates skin healing and may bring new hope for patients with chronic wounds and burns.
Innovation pioneered by scientists from Pasang National University in South Korea overcomes the long-term challenge of replicating the complex structure of fat (fat) tissue, which plays a crucial but often overlooked role in healing damaged skin.
The study, published February 2 in Advanced Functional Materials, represents a significant advancement in how scientists can approach tissue engineering and wound treatment. By focusing on the endocrine properties of fats (the ability to secrete hormones and other signaling molecules), the researchers have created a more effective method of skin regeneration.
Fat: More than just storage
While most people think primarily of fat as an energy storage system, adipose tissue is actually an active endocrine organ that releases various molecules that regulate the repair of other damaged tissues. This makes it a major candidate for regenerative medicine applications.
“Under standard culture conditions, preadipocytes tend to diffuse and migrate, preventing the formation of lipid droplets that are critical to adipose tissue function,” explained Byoung Soo Kim, assistant professor who led the study. “The hybrid biologic community developed in this study maintains the physiological properties of adipose tissue.”
This is an important step forward, as previous bioprinting methods have been working to replicate dense lipid droplets characterized by functional adipose tissue.
Engineering the perfect adipocyte environment
The key innovation in this study is a professional “hybrid biological interconnection,” a mixture of materials that create the best environment for fat cells to develop. By combining 1% fat-derived peeling extracellular matrix with 0.5% alginate, the researchers created a medium that restricts the migration of pre-adipocytes (adipocyte precursors) while promoting their differentiation into mature adipocytes.
Through careful engineering and computational analysis, the team determined that the diameter of the adipose tissue unit should be 600 microns or less to ensure adequate nutrient and oxygen delivery. They also found that aligning these bioprinted fat units with a spacing of 1000 microns or less facilitates adipose formation (formation of adipose tissue) through paracrine signaling, in which cells communicate with nearby cells by releasing signaling molecules.
From laboratory to life organization
To test its bioprinted adipose tissue in the real world, the researchers created composite tissues by combining their engineered fat modules with the dermal modules, essentially creating functional skin alternatives. This tissue was then assembled into mice with skin wounds.
The results were surprising: wounds treated with tissue assembly showed significantly enhanced healing and improved epithelialization (regeneration of the outermost skin layer), tissue remodeling, and vascularization. Bioprinted adipose tissue effectively regulates the expression of proteins associated with skin cell differentiation, thereby accelerating the healing process.
Laboratory tests confirmed that optimized 3D bioprinted adipose tissue rapidly promotes skin cell migration by regulating the expression levels of cell migration-related proteins including MMP2, COL1A1, KRT5 and ITGB1.
Real-world applications
The implications of this study go far beyond the laboratory. According to Jae-Seong Lee, lead author of the study, “3D bioprinted endocrine tissue enhances skin regeneration, indicating their potential application in regenerative medicine. While current fat grafting programs suffer from low survival rates and gradual absorption, our hybrid biointerconnection enhances endocrine function and cellular viability, possibly overcoming these limitations.”
This approach is particularly valuable for treating chronic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers and burns, conditions that affect millions of patients around the world and often resist routine treatment.
For patients with diabetes, 15-25% of patients facing 15-25% of lifelong ulcers have a mortality rate of up to 45%, which may change lives. Likewise, for burn victims who require a large number of skin grafts, enhanced recovery may mean shorter hospital stays and improved prognosis.
The Future of Bioprinting
This study highlights the growing potential of bioprinting in precision medicine and regenerative healthcare. As 3D bioprinting technology becomes increasingly commercialized, experts expect the market growth of customized organizational manufacturing to grow significantly. Hospitals and research institutions may increasingly adopt personalized bioprinting systems for patient treatment and medical research.
The approach developed by the PUSAN team represents a shift in thinking about tissue engineering, rather than just recreating structural components into engineering functional organizations with specific biological properties. By focusing on the endocrine function of adipose tissue, they developed a method that could ultimately unleash the therapeutic potential of engineered adipose tissue.
As bioprinting technology continues to advance, the boundaries between artificial tissue and natural tissue become increasingly blurred. For patients with chronic wounds, this blur of boundaries can mean the difference between persistent pain and recovery – this is due to the regeneration magic of precisely printed adipocytes.
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