ISSN:
0021-9304
Keywords:
artificial skin
;
collagen-glycosaminoglycan matrix
;
keratinocytes
;
guinea pigs
;
skin regeneration
;
Chemistry
;
Polymer and Materials Science
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Medicine
,
Technology
Notes:
Deep skin wounds in the adult mammal close spontaneously by epithelialization, wound contraction, and scar synthesis. In previous wound healing studies, it has been unsuccessfully attempted to separate from each other the natural processes that close wounds. In this study, we attempted to isolate skin regeneration from spontaneous processes of wound closure using “island” grafts. A porous analog of the extracellular matrix, composed of a graft copolymer of type I collagen and chondroitin 6-sulfate, was seeded with uncultured autologous keratinocytes and served to induce regeneration of the dermis and the epidermis. Grafts of the copolymer, measuring 1 × 2 cm, were placed in the center of 5 × 6-cm wounds in guinea pigs. By day 14, the edges of the island grafts were clearly separated from the host epidermis and dermis by a distinct bed of granulation tissue. Histologic study of island grafts on day 14 showed that the copolymer grafts had largely degraded and that a new epidermis and dermis had been synthesized in its place. The thickness of the new epidermis increased as the density of cells seeded into the graft increased. No synthesis of epidermis or dermis was observed in the granulation tissue outside the perimeter of the island grafts. We conclude that island grafting allows the study of early events in skin regeneration in isolation from epithelialization, contraction, and scar synthesis. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 39, 531-535, 1998.
Additional Material:
6 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
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