Experimental study on repairing skin defect by tissue-engineered skin substitute compositely constructed by adipose-derived stem cells and fibrin gel

R.-X. Zeng, J.-Y. He, Y.-L. Zhang, X.-X. Liu, Y. Zhang, Q. Tang

Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. sumstq@163.com

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• Plastic Surgery

OBJECTIVE: To study the application value of artificial skin substitute compositely constructed by adipose-derived stem cells and fibrin gel in skin defect.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) were obtained from healthy pure green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic mice and were proved to have multiple differentiation potentials. They compositely constructed artificial skin substitute in vitro with fibrin gel. 24 SD rats of either gender, with the gestational age of 3-5 weeks, were divided into four groups in the experiment, namely model group (autologous skin flap transplantation), adipose-derived stem cell transplantation group, fibrin gel transplantation group and compound transplantation group, 6 rats for each group. At the skin blood flow (measured by applying laser Doppler rheometer) and survival rate of the flap on 7d and 21d respectively, the materials were transplanted at back skin injury (1 cm×1 cm) to prepare tissue slice for routine HE staining. The conditions of wound healing were observed, and the angiogenesis of flap neovascularization was detected by the immunofluorescent assay.

RESULTS: The skin blood flow, the survival rate of flap and density of neovascularization 7d and 21d after transplantation were significantly higher than those of stem cell group, followed by the model group, with the lowest ones in the fibrin gel group. The differences had statistical significance (p<0.05). The wound healing time of compound group was significantly shorter than that of stem cell group, followed by the model group, with the longest one in the fibrin gel group. The differences had statistical significance (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The artificial skin substitute compositely constructed by adipose-derived stem cells and fibrin gel could significantly shorten healing time and improve the survival rate of the flap in skin defect, with better application value.

Published on: 2017/07/14

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