The Journal of pathology
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The Journal of pathology · Apr 2000
Higher numbers of autologous fibroblasts in an artificial dermal substitute improve tissue regeneration and modulate scar tissue formation.
Cultured skin substitutes are increasingly important for the treatment of burns and chronic wounds. The role of fibroblast numbers present in a living-skin equivalent is at present unknown. The quality of dermal tissue regeneration was therefore investigated in relation to the number of autologous fibroblasts seeded in dermal substitutes, transplanted instantaneously or precultured for 10 days in the substitute. ⋯ After 6 weeks, the wounds treated with 0-DS50, 0-DS10, and 10-DS50 had significantly less scar tissue and significantly more mature collagen bundles in the regenerated dermis. This improvement of wound healing was correlated with the higher numbers of fibroblasts present in the dermal substitute at the moment of transplantation. In conclusion, dermal regeneration of experimental full-skin defects was significantly improved by treatment with dermal substitutes containing high numbers of (precultured) autologous fibroblasts.