Assimilating cell sheets and hybrid scaffolds for dermal tissue engineering

Area of Science:

• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue Engineering
• Biomaterials Science

Background:

• Cell sheets offer a method for creating neo-tissue with mature extracellular matrix.
• Significant cell sheet contraction poses a challenge in tissue engineering applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a technique to overcome cell sheet contraction in dermal construct engineering.
• To evaluate the efficacy of collagen-hyaluronic acid foams versus poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-collagen meshes for dermal tissue engineering.

Main Methods:

• Human dermal fibroblasts were cultured on poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-collagen meshes and collagen-hyaluronic acid foams.
• Cell sheets were folded over scaffolds to create dermal constructs, followed by keratinocyte culture for bilayered skin regeneration assessment.
• Cell proliferation, metabolic activity, viability, F-actin expression, collagen deposition, and growth factor production were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Dermal constructs using collagen-hyaluronic acid foams exhibited minimal contraction, unlike those with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-collagen meshes which curled.
• High cell viability and F-actin expression were observed, along with significant collagen deposition.
• Key growth factors (TGF-α, TGF-β1, KGF, VEGF) were produced, indicating a supportive microenvironment.

Conclusions:

• Integrating cell sheets with mechanically stable scaffolds, specifically collagen-hyaluronic acid foams, yields viable, non-contracting dermal-like constructs.
• This approach eliminates the need for repeated enzymatic cell expansion and overcomes poor scaffold cell seeding efficiency.