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Human-adipose Xenografts Improve Burn Wound Healing and Epithelization in Mice
Fuat Baris Bengur, MD; Shawn J. Loder, MD; Lauren Kokai, PhD; J Peter Rubin, MD
University of Pittsburgh
2022-01-15
Presenter: Fuat Baris Bengur, MD
Affidavit:
I certify that the material proposed for presentation in this abstract has not been published in any scientific journal or previously presented at a major meeting.
Director Name: J Peter Rubin
Author Category: Fellow Plastic Surgery
Presentation Category: Basic Science Research
Abstract Category: General Reconstruction
Background
Acute treatment of complex burns remains a critically unmet need. Adipose and adipose-derived stem cell therapies have met success in the treatment of acute and sub-acute thermal injuries; however, the effective agent and its exact mechanism is still under exploration. Prior reports vary highly as to whether inclusion of a healthy autologous vascular fraction is necessary or whether xenologous, decellularized, or fractionated adipose extracts may be used - with implications for off-the-shelf adipose-derived therapeutics for complex burns.
Methods
Female athymic mice had bilateral 1 cm full-thickness thermal injury and were stratified into either ipsilateral untreated burn controls or contralateral xenograft-adipose treatment. 1.0 mm human lipoaspirate of 300 ul was injected subcutaneously immediately post-burn to the wounds. Mice were followed photographically for 4-to-6-weeks. At sacrifice wound biopsies were collected for H&E, Trichrome, and protein.
Results
In mice treated with adipose xenograft at time of burn, no difference in surface area or burn morphology at 1-week post-injury were noted. By 2-weeks post injury, more rapid resolution of inflammation and wound surface area was noted which achieved significance by 4-6 weeks in grafted wounds. Adipose engraftment resulted in histologic evidence of scar resolution with consistent revascularization and survival of the subcutaneous adipose xenograft at 6-weeks.
Conclusions
In contrast to prior data suggesting an autologous-only approach, our findings support a hypothesis that the active functional agent in adipose xenograft for burns in not directly dependent on species match. This provides evidence to support more broadly applicable approach to adipose-derived therapeutics in acute burns.
