An Evaluation of the Treatment of Full-Thickness Wounds Using Adipose Micro-Fragments within a Liquid Dermal Scaffold

In full-thickness wounds, inflammation, lack of matrix deposition, and paucity of progenitor cells delay healing. As commercially available solid (sheet) scaffolds are unable to conform to wounds of varying shapes and sizes, we previously generated a nutritious, injectable, liquid skin substitute that can conform to wound topography. In combination with adipose micro-fragments as a viable source of progenitor cells, a composite, in situ forming skin substitute was tested for the treatment of silicon ring splinted full-thickness wounds in rats. The in vitro survivability and migratory capacity of adipocytes derived from rat micro-fragmented fat cultured in our scaffold was examined with a Live/Dead assay, showing viability and migration after 7 and 14 days. In vivo, the efficacy of our scaffold alone (LDS) or with adipose micro-fragments (LDS+A) was compared to a standard dressing protocol (NT). LDS and LDS+A showed ameliorated wound healing, including complete epithelialization and less immune cell infiltration, compared to the NT control. Our findings demonstrate that a 3D liquid skin scaffold is a rich environment for adipocyte viability and migration, and that the addition of adipose micro-fragments to this scaffold can be used as a rich source of cells for treating full-thickness wounds.