Accelerated oral wound healing using a pre-vascularized mucosal cell sheet

Area of Science:

• Regenerative Medicine
• Biomaterials Science
• Oral Surgery

Background:

• Cell sheets offer potential for tissue regeneration.
• Pre-vascularization enhances cell sheet integration and function.
• Oral wound healing requires effective strategies for rapid closure and minimal scarring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of newly developed pre-vascularized mucosal cell sheets in promoting oral wound healing.
• To compare the healing outcomes of pre-vascularized cell sheets against non-vascularized cell sheets and control wounds.

Main Methods:

• Primary culture and in vitro expansion of rat mucosal keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and endothelial progenitor cells.
• Generation of mucosal cell sheets: K sheet (keratinocytes and fibrin) and PV sheet (keratinocytes, fibrin, fibroblasts, endothelial cells).
• Autologous transplantation of cell sheets onto deep buccal wounds in rats, with subsequent gross and histological analysis.

Main Results:

• Successful in vitro culture and expansion of all cell types for sheet generation.
• PV sheet group demonstrated significantly more rapid wound closure compared to K sheet and control groups.
• Histological analysis of the PV sheet group showed healing similar to normal buccal mucosa, with reduced fibrosis.

Conclusions:

• Pre-vascularized mucosal cell sheets are effective in promoting accelerated oral wound healing.
• The integration of vascular networks within cell sheets enhances their therapeutic potential.
• This approach shows promise for improving outcomes in oral regenerative medicine and surgery.