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Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine for Wound Healing

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Zhe Li

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Guest Editor

Burns Unit, Concord Repatriation General Hospital Skin Laboratory, NSW State Wide Severe Burn Service Hospital, University of Sydney Medical School, Sydney, NSW 2139, Australia
Interests: burn wound healing; burns and reconstructive surgery; cellular and tissue therapy; tissue engineering and regenerative medicine

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cutaneous wounds in patients with burns and trauma, various diseases or in elderly patients remain a common health burden worldwide.

Wound healing is critical for the repair of skin structures and functions, prevention of wound infection and subsequent complications; however, it is often a complex and challenging process in the aforementioned patients. For example, severe burn wound is characterised by a loss of skin tissue, appendage structures and functions, and skin grafting is usually required for treatment. However, its effectiveness is often challenged due to a lack donor sites for graft harvesting, consequently leading to delayed wound healing, wound infection, wound contraction and bad scarring. In patients with chronic diseases and aged populations, refractory wounds often develop due to the patient’s abnormal healing capacity and systemic factors that affect wound healing, and they require more advanced treatments to facilitate wound healing and prevent severe complications.

Research advances in regenerative medicines and related technologies, including biomaterials, stem cells and skin tissue engineering, provide opportunities for research development and the translational application of novel therapeutic strategies to meet the clinical challenges in treating the aforementioned wounds. Until now, many medical devices such as dermal regenerative bio-scaffolds, cellular therapeutics and tissue-engineered living skin substitutes with a histological similarity to natural skin have already been developed and applied in clinical settings to improve wound healing. However, more research and development are needed to further optimise the existing strategies and develop new technologies for better wound care.

This Special Issue aims to highlight research advances in the fields of skin regenerative medicine, the related technologies and applications for wound healing and skin regeneration. We welcome original research articles, systemic reviews, methods and perspectives in the above fields, from laboratory and pre-clinical to clinical research.

Dr. Zhe Li
Guest Editor

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Keywords

wound healing
regenerative medicine and related technology
tissue engineering
bio-scaffolds
stem cells
cellular therapeutics

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 650 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Vacuum and Electromagnetic Fields Treatment to Regenerate a Diffuse Mature Facial Scar Caused by Sulfuric Acid Assault

by Sheila Veronese, Bruno Brunetti, Anna Maria Minichino and Andrea Sbarbati

Bioengineering 2022, 9(12), 799; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering9120799 - 13 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2109

Abstract

Acid attacks are on the rise, and they cause extensive and deep burns, especially on the face. The treatments used to improve the aesthetic, functional and social impact of non-acid scars do not always prove useful for acid scars. This article reports the case of a woman with an extended, mature, acid facial scar, caused by sulfuric acid assault, treated with a recent new procedure that combines the application of vacuum and electromagnetic fields. Before and after the treatment, the aesthetic appearance, and motor function of the face and neck were evaluated, as well as the level of hydration, the amount of sebum, the elasticity, and the pH of the skin. The improvements highlighted after the treatment of the aesthetic and functional characteristics of the face and neck, and of the physical parameters of the skin seemed to indicate that this particular treatment induces tissue regeneration, even in the nerve component. However, it is evident that the rehabilitation pathways of facial wounds and scars must be personalized, and must include continuous psychological support for the patient. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine for Wound Healing)

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Review

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16 pages, 6152 KiB

Open AccessReview

Accelerated Burn Healing in a Mouse Experimental Model Using α-Gal Nanoparticles

by Uri Galili

Bioengineering 2023, 10(10), 1165; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering10101165 - 6 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1274

Abstract

Macrophages play a pivotal role in the process of healing burns. One of the major risks in the course of burn healing, in the absence of regenerating epidermis, is infections, which greatly contribute to morbidity and mortality in such patients. Therefore, it is widely agreed that accelerating the recruitment of macrophages into burns may contribute to faster regeneration of the epidermis, thus decreasing the risk of infections. This review describes a unique method for the rapid recruitment of macrophages into burns and the activation of these macrophages to mediate accelerated regrowth of the epidermis and healing of burns. The method is based on the application of bio-degradable “α-gal” nanoparticles to burns. These nanoparticles present multiple α-gal epitopes (Galα1-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc-R), which bind the abundant natural anti-Gal antibody that constitutes ~1% of immunoglobulins in humans. Anti-Gal/α-gal nanoparticle interaction activates the complement system, resulting in localized production of the complement cleavage peptides C5a and C3a, which are highly effective chemotactic factors for monocyte-derived macrophages. The macrophages recruited into the α-gal nanoparticle-treated burns are activated following interaction between the Fc portion of anti-Gal coating the nanoparticles and the multiple Fc receptors on macrophage cell membranes. The activated macrophages secrete a variety of cytokines/growth factors that accelerate the regrowth of the epidermis and regeneration of the injured skin, thereby cutting the healing time by half. Studies on the healing of thermal injuries in the skin of anti-Gal-producing mice demonstrated a much faster recruitment of macrophages into burns treated with α-gal nanoparticles than in control burns treated with saline and healing of the burns within 6 days, whereas healing of control burns took ~12 days. α-Gal nanoparticles are non-toxic and do not cause chronic granulomas. These findings suggest that α-gal nanoparticles treatment may harness anti-Gal for inducing similar accelerated burn healing effects also in humans. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine for Wound Healing)

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