title: Human fat grafting alleviates radiation skin damage in a murine model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Autogenous fat grafting has been observed to alleviate the sequelae of chronic radiodermatitis. To date, no study has replicated this finding in an animal model.
  
  
  METHODS
  The dorsa of adult wild-type FVB mice were shaved and depilated. The dorsal skin was then distracted away from the body and irradiated (45 Gy). Four weeks after irradiation, 1.5-cc fat or sham grafts were placed in the dorsal subcutaneous space. Gross results were analyzed photometrically. The animals were euthanized at 4 and 8 weeks after fat or sham grafting and their dorsal skin was processed for histologic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hyperpigmentation and ulceration were grossly improved in fat-grafted mice compared with sham-grafted controls. This improvement manifested histologically in a number of ways. For example, epidermal thickness measurements demonstrated decreased thickness in fat-grafted animals at both time points (20.6 ± 1.5 μm versus 55.2 ± 5.6 μm, p = 0.004; 17.6 ± 1.1 μm versus 36.3 ± 6.1 μm, p = 0.039). Picrosirius red staining demonstrated a diminished scar index in fat-treated animals at both time points as well (0.54 ± 0.05 versus 0.74 ± 0.07, p = 0.034; and 0.55 ± 0.06 versus 0.93 ± 0.07, p = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fat grafting attenuates inflammation in acute radiodermatitis and slows the progression of fibrosis in chronic radiodermatitis.
authors.affiliation: New York, N.Y. From the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Laboratories, New York University Medical Center.
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Sultan
authors.forename: Carrie S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Vishal D
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Thanik
authors.forename: Christopher C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Phuong D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Orlando
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Canizares
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Szpalski
authors.forename: Pierre B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Saadeh
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.forename: Sydney R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.forename: Alexes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hazen
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000637:transplantation*; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental; D011855:Radiodermatitis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome