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Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Stem Cells. May 26, 2023; 15(5): 342-353
Published online May 26, 2023. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v15.i5.342
Advancements in adipose-derived stem cell therapy for skin fibrosis
Yu-Xin Liu, Jia-Ming Sun, Chia-Kang Ho, Ya Gao, Dong-Sheng Wen, Yang-Dan Liu, Lu Huang, Yi-Fan Zhang
Yu-Xin Liu, Jia-Ming Sun, Chia-Kang Ho, Ya Gao, Dong-Sheng Wen, Yang-Dan Liu, Lu Huang, Yi-Fan Zhang, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200011, China
Author contributions: Liu YX and Sun JM wrote the manuscript; Liu YX, Sun JM, Liu YD, Wen DS and Huang L contributed significantly to manuscript preparation; Liu YX and Sun JM wrote the manuscript; Sun JM contributed to data presentation; Ho CK, Gao Y and Zhang YF revised the manuscript; All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81772103 and No. 82172234; and Shanghai Clinical Research Center of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery supported by Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, China, No. 22MC1940300.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Yi-Fan Zhang, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No. 639 Zhizaoju Road, Shanghai 200011, China. zhangyifan82@126.com
Received: December 28, 2022
Peer-review started: December 28, 2022
First decision: March 10, 2023
Revised: March 30, 2023
Accepted: April 13, 2023
Article in press: April 13, 2023
Published online: May 26, 2023
Processing time: 149 Days and 6.1 Hours
Abstract

Pathological scarring and scleroderma, which are the most common conditions of skin fibrosis, pathologically manifest as fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) hyperplasia. Fibroblast proliferation and ECM hyperplasia lead to fibrotic tissue remodeling, causing an exaggerated and prolonged wound-healing response. The pathogenesis of these diseases has not been fully clarified and is unfortunately accompanied by exceptionally high medical needs and poor treatment effects. Currently, a promising and relatively low-cost treatment has emerged-adipose-derived stem cell (ASC) therapy as a branch of stem cell therapy, including ASCs and their derivatives-purified ASC, stromal vascular fraction, ASC-conditioned medium, ASC exosomes, etc., which are rich in sources and easy to obtain. ASCs have been widely used in therapeutic settings for patients, primarily for the defection of soft tissues, such as breast enhancement and facial contouring. In the field of skin regeneration, ASC therapy has become a hot research topic because it is beneficial for reversing skin fibrosis. The ability of ASCs to control profibrotic factors as well as anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory actions will be discussed in this review, as well as their new applications in the treatment of skin fibrosis. Although the long-term effect of ASC therapy is still unclear, ASCs have emerged as one of the most promising systemic antifibrotic therapies under development.

Keywords: Adipose-derived stem cell; Cicatrix, hypertrophic; Keloid; Scleroderma, localized; Stromal vascular fraction; Exosomes

Core Tip: Pathological scarring and scleroderma are the most common conditions of skin fibrosis with high medical needs and poor therapeutic effects. Adipose-derived stem cell (ASC) therapy has emerged as a promising treatment for skin fibrosis. Here, we discuss the possible mechanism of skin fibrosis as well as the latest research about the mechanism of ASC therapy and its application in treating these conditions. ASC therapy provides a brand-new insight into the treatment of skin fibrosis.