Effects of Deferoxamine on Fat Graft Survival

The most important problem in fat transplantation is the unpredictable rates of resorption. Deferoxamine (DFO) is an iron-chelating agent with many useful functions including stimulating angiogenesis and antioxidant nature. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effects of DFO on fat graft viability in rat model. A total of 24 Wistar rats were divided into three groups and 0.5 g of the left inguinal fat pad was extracted. In control group, fat grafts were implanted to the parascapular area without performing any procedure. In sham group, they were implanted in 0.2 mL saline solution followed by serial saline injections for 1 month. In the study group, fat grafts were implanted in 0.2 mL saline solution and 300 mg DFO followed by serial DFO injections for 1 month. At the postoperative second month, fat grafts were taken back and sent for histopathologic examination. The weight measurements of biopsy specimens in the study group demonstrated significantly higher than in the other two groups. Inflammation and fibrosis rates were also found to be significantly higher in the study group compared with the other groups; however, no significant difference in the apoptosis rates was detected between the groups. Fat grafts enriched with DFO showed significant increase in fatty tissue content in the study group compared with the control and sham groups. DFO increases the fat graft survival in rats and it may be a useful addition in autologous fat grafting procedures to increase fat graft viability and obtain maximal long-term durability.