RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Construction of seedless tissue-engineered adipose tissue from acellular adipose tissue is a hot research topic in soft tissue filling. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of preparation methods of acellular adipose tissue on the induction of adipose regeneration after transplantation in recent years, and to look forward to its clinical application prospects. METHODS: A computer-based online search of PubMed and Elsevier databases was performed to retrieve papers regarding acellular adipose tissue preparation and transplantation published between January 1971 and December 2018 with the search terms “adipose tissue engineering; adipose tissue extracellular matrix; soft tissue repair; angiogenesis; adipogenic induction”. The retrieved papers were summarized from the perspectives of improvement in preparation methods of acellular adipose tissue, cross-linking cytokines and biomaterials. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Retrieved studies have shown that extracellular matrix of adipose tissue can act as an ideal scaffold material for soft tissue filling. Subcutaneous implantation of extracellular matrix of adipose tissue can recruit host stem cells and induce their proliferation and adipogenesis. However, existing acellular schemes can lead to the loss of extracellular matrix proteins and structures. This greatly affects the fat regeneration ability of acellular adipose tissue implanted in vivo. However, supercritical carbon dioxide deoiling, mechanical pretreatment, cross-linking cytokines or biomaterials can reduce the loss of extracellular matrix proteins and supplement the proteins that promote tissue regeneration during the preparation of acellular adipose tissue. This can ultimately enhance the angiogenesis and adipogenesis of acellular adipose tissue after transplantation. Acellular adipose tissue has strong application prospects in adipose tissue engineering because of its natural adipogenic induction ability. If the loss of extracellular matrix protein can be overcome during preparation of acellular adipose tissue or under the premise of safety and controllability, acellular adipose tissue is expected to become a suitable soft tissue filler that allows allogeneic injection and in situ adipogenesis.