Enhancing repair of full-thickness excisional wounds in a murine model: Impact of tissue-engineered biological dressings featuring human differentiated adipocytes

Promotion of skin repair for acute or chronic wounds through the use of tissue-engineered products is an active field of research. This study evaluates the effects mediated by tissue-engineered biological dressings containing human in vitro-differentiated adipocytes and adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs). Re-epithelialization, granulation tissue formation and neovascularization of full-thickness cutaneous wounds were specifically assessed using a murine model featuring a fluorescent epidermis. In comparison with wounds that did not receive an adipocyte-containing biological dressing, treated wounds displayed a slight but significantly faster wound closure based on macroscopic observations over 18 days. Non-invasive imaging of GFP-expressing keratinocytes determined that the kinetics of re-epithelialization were similar for both groups. Treated wounds featured thicker granulation tissues (1.7-fold, P < 0.0001) enriched in collagens (1.3-fold, P < 0.0104). In addition, wound cryosections labeled for detection of CD31-expressing cells indicated a 2.2-fold (P < 0.0002) increased neovascularization for the treated wounds at the time of terminal biopsy. This is in accordance with the secretion of pro-angiogenic factors detected in media conditioned by the dressings. Taken together, these results establish that a new type of engineered substitutes featuring a mixture of adipocytes and ASCs can promote cutaneous healing when applied as temporary dressings, suggesting their potential relevance for chronic wound management studies.

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