Development and Characterization of an Engraftable Tissue-Cultured Skin Autograft: Alternative Treatment for Severe Electrical Injuries?

Abstract

Background/Aims: Optimizing the treatment regimens of extensive or nonhealing defects is a constant challenge. Tissue-cultured skin autografts may be an alternative to mesh grafts and keratinocyte suspensions that are applied during surgical defect coverage. Methods: Autologous epidermal and dermal cells were isolated, in vitro expanded and seeded on collagen-elastin scaffolds. The developed autograft was immunohistochemically and electron microscopically characterized. Subsequently, it was transplanted onto lesions of a severely burned patient. Results: Comparability of the skin equivalent to healthy human skin could be shown due to the epidermal strata, differentiation, proliferation markers and development of characteristics of a functional basal lamina. Approximately 2 weeks after skin equivalent transplantation the emerging new skin correlated closely to the adjacent normal skin. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates the comparability of the developed organotypic skin equivalent to healthy human skin and its versatility for clinical applications.

Directing adipose‐derived stem cells into keratinocyte‐like cells: impact of medium composition and culture condition

“…Although epithelia have a potentially lifelong capacity for regeneration, local and systemic factors can impair re‐epithelization. Based on the ground‐breaking work by Rheinwald and Green, the cultivation of epidermal skin cells, namely keratinocytes, becomes refined leading to viable skin constructs usable for transplantation . A main obstacle in this procedure is the acquisition of autologous skin cells – a sufficient amount of intact skin tissue must be obtained typically by dermabrasion or incision – which bears the risk of developing pain, scarring, infection and slow healing at the donor site .…”

“…Based on the ground-breaking work by Rheinwald and Green, 25 the cultivation of epidermal skin cells, namely keratinocytes, becomes refined leading to viable skin constructs usable for transplantation. 26,27 A main obstacle in this procedure Adipose-derived stem cells were grown for 15 days in medium M8 (see Table 1) on supports coated with type IV collagen, fibronectin, hyaluronic acid and laminin. Uncoated supports served as control.…”

Macrophages significantly enhance wound healing in a vascularized skin model

“…The first and still the simplest approach is the use of keratinocyte sheets known as cultured epidermal autografts . The principle of generating a large keratinocyte sheet from a small skin biopsy with an expansion ratio of up to 15 is still used today . Dermal equivalents are used as off‐the‐shelf products in clinics such as MatriDerm®, Integra™, and DermaGraft®.…”

Are the Effects of the Cholera Toxin and Isoproterenol on Human Keratinocytes’ Proliferative Potential Dependent on Whether They Are Co-Cultured with Human or Murine Fibroblast Feeder Layers?

“…Because this system enables epithelial stem cell retention, autologous keratinocytes can be grafted on patients as cell suspensions or epithelial sheets, thus providing means to treat superficial burns or to facilitate donor site regeneration [5,6,7,8]. For severe burns and chronic ulcers, cultured bi-layered skin substitutes—containing both dermal and epidermal cells—can also be grafted directly onto affected areas to promote healing [9,10,11,12,13]. Epithelial stem cell retention is however highly dependent upon culture conditions.…”