Novel pre-vascularized tissue-engineered dermis based on stem cell sheet technique used for dermis-defect healing

Area of Science:

• Regenerative Medicine
• Biomaterials Science
• Wound Healing Research

Background:

• Tissue-engineered dermis (TED) faces limitations due to insufficient donor tissue and lack of vascularization.
• Developing functional TED requires mimicking the native dermis's complex structure and vascular network.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a pre-vascularized tissue-engineered dermis (PTED) using cell sheet technology.
• To evaluate the efficacy of PTED in promoting wound closure and vascularization in a dermal defect model.

Main Methods:

• Constructed pre-vascularized bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell sheets (PBMCS) and pre-vascularized fibroblasts cell sheets (PFCS) using cell sheet technology.
• Superimposed or folded cell sheets to create PTED constructs.
• Implanted PTED in nude mice with dorsal dermis defects and assessed wound healing via histochemistry and immunohistochemistry at Days 1, 7, and 14.

Main Results:

• PTED significantly accelerated wound closure, with a three-layer PTED achieving 97.2% healing by Day 14 (P < 0.01).
• Wound healing rates for PTED were superior to blank controls, PBMCS, PFCS, and a six-layer PTED.
• Enhanced vessel density was observed in the PTED group compared to controls at Day 14.

Conclusions:

• The developed PTED, particularly the three-layer construct, effectively promotes full-thickness dermis defect repair.
• PTED facilitates the formation of three-dimensional vascular networks, indicating its potential for clinical application in dermal regeneration.