Dedifferentiated Fat (DFAT) cells: A cell source for oral and maxillofacial tissue engineering

Area of Science:

• Regenerative Medicine
• Biomaterials Science
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Tissue engineering aims to regenerate damaged tissues, requiring optimal cell sources.
• Dedifferentiated fat (DFAT) cells represent a novel and promising cell source for regenerative applications.
• DFAT cells are derived from adipose tissue and possess unique properties beneficial for tissue regeneration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the discovery and utility of DFAT cells in tissue engineering.
• To highlight the advantages of DFAT cells over traditional stem cell sources.
• To explore the potential of DFAT cells for oral and maxillofacial tissue regeneration.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on DFAT cell research.
• Analysis of DFAT cell characteristics: purity, proliferation, and multilineage potential.
• Evaluation of in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrating DFAT cell differentiation and regenerative capacity.

Main Results:

• DFAT cells are highly homogeneous, proliferative, and multipotent.
• DFAT cells exhibit superior differentiation into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes compared to bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and adipose tissue-derived stem cells.
• Successful in vivo regeneration of periodontal tissue, bone, nerve, muscle, cartilage, and fat tissue using DFAT cells has been reported.

Conclusions:

• DFAT cells are a highly effective cell source for diverse tissue engineering applications.
• Harvesting DFAT cells from the human buccal fat pad (BFP) is minimally invasive and accessible for oral surgeons.
• DFAT cells hold significant promise for advancing oral and maxillofacial tissue engineering.