Tissue Sheet Engineered Using Human Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improves Diabetic Wound Healing

Diabetic foot ulceration is a common chronic diabetic complication. Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) have been widely used in regenerative medicine owing to their multipotency and easy availability. We developed poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-based scaffold to create hUC-MSC tissue sheets. In vitro immunostaining showed that hUC-MSC tissue sheets formed thick and solid tissue sheets with an abundance of extracellular matrix (ECM). Diabetic wounds in mice treated with or without either the hUC-MSC tissue sheet, hUC-MSC injection, or fiber only revealed that hUC-MSC tissue sheet transplantation promoted diabetic wound healing with improved re-epithelialization, collagen deposition, blood vessel formation and maturation, and alleviated inflammation compared to that observed in other groups. Taken collectively, our findings suggest that hUC-MSCs cultured on PLGA scaffolds improve diabetic wound healing, collagen deposition, and angiogenesis, and provide a novel and effective method for cell transplantation, and a promising alternative for diabetic skin wound treatment.