Effects of adipose-derived stromal cells and of their extract on wound healing in a mouse model

In this study, the authors investigated the effects of adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) and of their extract on wound healing. After creating wound healing splint model on the backs of mice, ADSCs and their extract were applied. Wound healing rates were calculated at 3, 5, 7, 10, and 14 days after the wounding, and tissues were harvested at 7 and 14 days for histological analysis. Wound healing rates were significantly higher at 7, 10, and 14 days in the cell group than in the control, but in the cell extract group wound healing rates were significantly decreased (P<0.05). Histological scores and capillary densities in the cell group were significantly higher at 2 weeks (P<0.05). In the cell group, thick inflammatory cell infiltration and many capillaries were observed at 1 week, and thick epithelium and numerous large capillaries were observed at 2 weeks. The present study suggests that ADSCs accelerate wound healing as known, and the effects of ADSCs on wound healing may be due to replacing insufficient cells by differentiation of ADSCs in the wound and secreting growth factors by differentiated cells, and not due to the effect of factors within ADSCs.