Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Therapy in Hypertrophic and Keloid Scars: A Systematic Review of Experimental Studies

Introduction: Hypertrophic and keloid scars are abnormal tissue growth that can be disfiguring, for which the available treatment has not yielded consistent results. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the capability of Adipose tissue-derived stem cell (ADSC) therapy in treating these scars. Methods: A literature search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception until July 2022. We included experimental studies that evaluated ADSCs as a therapy for hypertrophic and keloid scars in both in-vivo and in-vitro models. Results: Our findings extracted from 12 included studies demonstrated that ADSCs have a promising potential in reducing collagen deposition, proliferation, and migration rates of fibroblast, decreasing gene/protein expression of scar-related molecules including levels of TGF-β1 and lowering intracellular signal pathway-related molecules of hypertrophic and keloid scars in both models. However, no significant difference (P > .05) was found in the hypertrophic scar in-vitro models in terms of DCN gene expression. Conclusion: Ultimately, the current studies included in this systematic review support the use of ADSCs to alleviate hypertrophic and keloid scars.