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Effects of Melatonin on Fat Graft Retention Through Browning of Adipose Tissue and Alternative Macrophage Polarization

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  • Basic Science/Experimental
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Abstract

Background

Melatonin is a widely used drug that can affect adipocyte inflammation, resulting in adipose tissue browning. Inducing the browning of white fat and changing the inflammatory microenvironment of early transplanted fat have positive effects on the retention rate of fat grafts. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of melatonin on fat graft retention, determine whether it is related to adipose tissue browning and the inflammatory microenvironment, and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Methods

A C57BL/6 mice fat transplantation model was established. The mice were divided into a control group (ethanol), a high-dose group (40 mg/kg/day melatonin), a medium-dose group (20 mg/kg/day melatonin), and a low-dose group (10 mg/kg/day melatonin). They were also given oral gavage treatment for 2 weeks. The grafted fat was collected 2, 4, and 12 weeks after treatment.

Results

The medium-dose and high-dose melatonin groups had significantly higher fat graft retention rates than the control group at 12 weeks. The medium-dose melatonin group had smaller multilocular adipocytes, which enhanced the expression of uncoupling protein 1 and increased neovascularization in the grafted fat. The medium-dose group also had a higher distribution of M2 macrophages.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that melatonin administration can improve the retention of fat grafts through polarization of macrophages toward the anti-inflammatory type and induction of adipose tissue browning.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Foundation of National Natural Science Foundation of China (82202478).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China

    Juanli Dang, Zhou Yu, Tong Wang, Yan Jiao, Kai Wang, Wenjie Dou & Baoqiang Song

  2. Department of Plastic Surgery, Medical School, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    Chenggang Yi

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  1. Juanli Dang
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  2. Zhou Yu
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  3. Tong Wang
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  4. Yan Jiao
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  7. Chenggang Yi
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Correspondence to Chenggang Yi or Baoqiang Song.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the publication of this manuscript.

Ethics Approval

All animal experiments were approved by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee Laboratory, following the guidelines the Air Force Military Medical University (IACUC-20120561).

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As the subjects were animals, the principle of informed consent was not applicable to this study.

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Dang, J., Yu, Z., Wang, T. et al. Effects of Melatonin on Fat Graft Retention Through Browning of Adipose Tissue and Alternative Macrophage Polarization. Aesth Plast Surg 47, 1578–1586 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-022-03242-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-022-03242-6

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