Role of micro‑fragmented adipose tissue in cartilage repair (Review)

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative joint disease, and one of the core factors in its development is articular cartilage damage. Due to the lack of vascular tissue in articular cartilage, if not treated in time, the damaged cartilage cannot regenerate spontaneously, thus leading to the occurrence of OA. Research has found that through a new type of fully enclosed device, lipogems^®, micro-fragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) can be obtained by treating adipose tissue with mild mechanical force. MFAT does not require cell expansion, enzymatic treatment, or other major manipulations, and can maintain the complete stromal vascular niche. The present review discusses the latest research progress of the mechanism of MFAT in the repair of cartilage injury in OA, providing a new direction for the treatment of OA.