title: The Fate of Fat Grafts in Different Recipient Areas: Subcutaneous Plane, Fat Pad, and Muscle.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although fat is transplanted into several layers, including subcutaneous, fat, and muscle layers, there is little (clinical) scientific basis for these procedures.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the optimal recipient layer for fat transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fat harvested from inguinal fat pads of green fluorescent protein (GFP) mice was grafted into the subcutaneous and intramuscular planes and the fat pads of C57 mice. Specimens collected after 1, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks were stained with hematoxylin and eosin to determine angiogenesis and fibrosis in the grafts. The survival rate of donor adipose tissue was determined by measuring GFP expression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fat was retained longer in fat pads than in subcutaneous layers of recipient mice and longer in subcutaneous than in intramuscular layers. Angiogenesis and vascularized connective tissue were greater in intramuscular than in subcutaneous or fat grafts. Neovascularization, however, was similar in fat pads and subcutaneous grafts. Survival rate was higher for intramuscularly injected fat than subcutaneously and fat pad injected fat.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fat pad injection showed the highest graft retention rate, indicating that fat pads maybe the optimal area for fat transplantation. The increased blood supply to muscle suggests that intramuscular injection maybe optimal when there is little movement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Ziqing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000637:transplantation*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous / Q000379:methods