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Updated: Jul 3, 2025
Creation and Transplantation of an Adipose-derived Stem Cell ASC Sheet in a Diabetic Wound-healing Model
Published on: August 4, 2017
Translational application of human keratinocyte-fibroblast cell sheets for accelerated wound healing in a clinically
Kanokaon Benchaprathanphorn1, Pornprom Muangman2, Kusuma Chinaroonchai2
1Biological Engineering Program, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand.
Background Aims:
Despite advancements in wound care, wound healing remains a challenge, especially in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Cell sheet technology has emerged as an efficient and promising therapy for tissue regeneration and wound repair. Among these, bilayered human keratinocyte-fibroblast cell sheets constructed using temperature-responsive culture surfaces have been shown to mimic a normal tissue-like structure and secrete essential cytokines and growth factors that regulate the wound healing process.
Methods:
This study aimed to evaluate the safety and therapeutic potential of human skin cell sheets to treat full-thickness skin defects in a rat model of type 2 diabetes.
Results:
Our findings demonstrate that diabetic wounds transplanted with bilayered cell sheets resulted in accelerated re-epithelialization, increased angiogenesis, enhanced macrophage polarization and regeneration of tissue that closely resembled healthy skin. In contrast, the control group that did not receive cell sheet transplantation presented characteristic symptoms of impaired and delayed wound healing associated with type 2 diabetes.
Conclusions:
The secretory cytokines and the upregulation of Nrf2 expression in response to cell sheet transplantation are believed to have played a key role in the improved wound healing observed in diabetic rats. Our study suggests that human keratinocyte-fibroblast cell sheets hold great potential as a therapeutic alternative for diabetic ulcers.
