Effects of wound dressings on cultured primary keratinocytes

• Commercial burn wound dressings were tested for possible keratinocyte cytotoxicity.
• Adaptic, Xeroform, EZ Derm, and Mepilex reduce the attachment expansion and survival.
• Mepitel, N-Terface, Polyskin, and Biobrane do not interfere with attachment and expansion.
• Mepitel, N-Terface, Polyskin, and Biobrane dressings do not change gene expression.

Autologous cell-spray grafting of non-cultured epidermal cells is an innovative approach for the treatment of severe second-degree burns. After treatment, wounds are covered with dressings that are widely used in wound care management; however, little is known about the effects of wound dressings on individually isolated cells. The sprayed cells have to actively attach, spread, proliferate, and migrate in the wound for successful re-epithelialization, during the healing process. It is expected that exposure to wound dressing material might interfere with cell survival, attachment, and expansion. Two experiments were performed to determine whether some dressing materials have a negative impact during the early phases of wound healing. In one experiment, freshly isolated cells were seeded and cultured for one week in combination with eight different wound dressings used during burn care. Cells, which were seeded and cultured with samples of Adaptic®, Xeroform®, EZ Derm®, and Mepilex® did not attach, nor did they survive during the first week. Mepitel®, N-Terface®, Polyskin®, and Biobrane® dressing samples had no negative effect on cell attachment and cell growth when compared to the controls. In a second experiment, the same dressings were exposed to pre-cultured cells in order to exclude the effects of attachment and spreading. The results confirm the above findings. This study could be of interest for establishing skin cell grafting therapies in burn medicine and also for wound care in general.