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Hydrogel Scaffolds to Deliver Cell Therapies for Wound Healing
Dharshan Sivaraj1, Kellen Chen1, Arhana Chattopadhyay1
1Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States.
Abstract:
Cutaneous wounds are a growing global health burden as a result of an aging population coupled with increasing incidence of diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Cell-based approaches have been used to treat wounds due to their secretory, immunomodulatory, and regenerative effects, and recent studies have highlighted that delivery of stem cells may provide the most benefits. Delivering these cells to wounds with direct injection has been associated with low viability, transient retention, and overall poor efficacy. The use of bioactive scaffolds provides a promising method to improve cell therapy delivery. Specifically, hydrogels provide a physiologic microenvironment for transplanted cells, including mechanical support and protection from native immune cells, and cell-hydrogel interactions may be tailored based on specific tissue properties. In this review, we describe the current and future directions of various cell therapies and usage of hydrogels to deliver these cells for wound healing applications.
Insights
Stem cell therapy shows promise for wound healing, but direct injection has limitations. Bioactive hydrogel scaffolds offer a superior method for delivering these cells, enhancing their therapeutic potential in treating chronic wounds.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Regenerative Medicine
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Cutaneous wounds represent a significant and increasing global health challenge, exacerbated by aging populations and comorbidities like diabetes and obesity.
- Cell-based therapies, particularly stem cell delivery, are explored for wound healing due to their regenerative and immunomodulatory properties.
- Direct injection of cells into wounds often results in poor viability and retention, limiting therapeutic efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current and future directions in cell-based therapies for wound healing.
- To explore the role of bioactive hydrogel scaffolds in improving cell delivery and efficacy.
- To discuss the advantages of hydrogels as a microenvironment for transplanted cells in wound repair.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on cell therapy and hydrogel applications in wound healing.
- Analysis of the benefits of hydrogels in providing a supportive microenvironment for cells.
- Discussion of tailored cell-hydrogel interactions for specific tissue regeneration.
Main Results:
- Hydrogels offer a promising strategy to overcome the limitations of direct cell injection.
- These scaffolds provide mechanical support and immune protection for transplanted cells.
- Tailored hydrogel properties can optimize cell-material interactions for enhanced wound healing.
Conclusions:
- Bioactive hydrogel scaffolds represent a significant advancement in cell therapy for wound healing.
- Hydrogel-based delivery systems enhance cell viability, retention, and therapeutic outcomes.
- Future research should focus on optimizing hydrogel-cell interactions for diverse wound types.
