Laser Doppler imaging evaluation of adipogenesis after adipose tissue-derived stem cell implantation

We need a better method of assessing adipose tissue formation non-invasively than the current one, which requires resecting tissue samples in vivo. The aim of this study was to establish a system to evaluate adipogenesis using laser Doppler imaging (LDI) to measure subcutaneous microcirculation. CGSs containing adipose stem cells with or without bFGF were implanted in the backs of 30 mice. Once per week after implantation, LDI was used to evaluate blood flow at the implantation site. The implantation sites were resected at 6 weeks, and the tissue was weighed. Six weeks after implantation, LDI showed that mice who received CGS with 1 μg/cm² bFGF had the greatest mean blood flow, and these mice had the heaviest resected specimens, which contained the most newly formed adipose tissue. The findings for LDI and the weight findings were compatible. This study indicates that LDI could be used to assess subcutaneous tissue regeneration in vivo in a real-time, non-invasive manner.