Fragmented adipose tissue transplanted to craniofacial deformities induces bone repair associated with immunoexpression of adiponectin and parathyroid hormone 1-receptor.

Objective : This study analyzed the influence of autogenous white adipose tissue on bone matrix development in critical-size defects created in rabbit calvaria. Materials and methods : A 15-mm-diameter defect was created in the calvaria of 42 rabbits. Twenty-one rabbits were treated with 86 mm(3) of immediate transplant of fragmented white subcutaneous adipose tissue (WSAT); the others constituted the control group (sham). The animals were euthanized at 7, 15, and 40 days postsurgery (n = 7), and the histological data were analyzed by histomorphometry and immunohistochemistry using the anti-adiponectin and parathyroid hormone 1-receptor (PTH1R) antibodies. Results : The calvariae treated with fragmented WSAT demonstrated significant bone formation. These results coincided with the significant presence of immunopositivity to adiponectin and PTH1R in loci, which in turn coincided with the increase in bonelike matrix deposited both in fat tissue stroma and adipocytes' cytoplasm. In contrast, the control group revealed a small amount of bone-matrix deposition and presented scarce PTH1R expression and a lack of immunostain for adiponectin. Conclusion : These results indicate that transplant of fragmented white subcutaneous adipose tissue may be an alternative to treatment of craniofacial bone deformities because adipose tissue suffers from osseous metaplasia and exhibits immunoexpression of the adiponectin and PTH1R, which are proteins associated with bone metabolism.