AF4
BEST BASIC SCIENCE POSTER AWARD FINALIST
Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Treatment Improve Wound Healing And Tissue Regeneration
S. Hak, SA. ShamsulBahar, SL Tan, MR. Murali, HB. Raghavendran, AA. Khalil
The use of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) in orthopedics has been suggested for many years, mainly for its potential role in preventing scar formation. For the development of a treatment which may prevent scar, skin wound models are important, especially in treating deep dermal partial thickness (DDPT) burn model which often leads to excessive scarring. This study aims to (i) to develop a reproducible DDPT burn model in rat, and (ii) to compare the healing of DDPT burn treated with and without BMSC. In this study, an optimization for different copper block thickness (5mm, 10mm, 15mm, and 20mm) and burn exposure times (5s, 10s, 15s and 20s) were conducted to create a reproducible DDPT burn model on the rat dorsal skin. Twelve male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250g) were randomly divided into four groups for exposure to heat at different duration. Each rat received four burns (at 2N pressure), on an area of 12mm X 12mm, using copper blocks (with difference thickness) pre-heated (20minutes) on a hot plate at 320°C ± 10°C.Histological analysis of burn wound region was conducted to evaluate the degree of the burn created, which includes: (i) hematoxylin-eosinand Masson’s Trichrome collagen staining, and (ii) measurement for the thickness of the dermis and sub-cutaneous layer (in normal and burn tissues). Our optimization results demonstrated that a heated copper block at 320°C at the pressure of 2N for 10s exposure time using 5mm and 10mm thickness can be used to create a reproducible DDPT burn wound in a rat model. Then, the DDPT burn was created on thirty-six rats (200-250g). After one day, the rats were randomly assigned into three groups. The scalp tissue was removed and the burn wound was repaired with: (i) BMSCs on the human-amnion-cell carrier (HAMCC), (ii) HAMCC without cells, and (iii) a negative control group, which was not treated after the scalp tissue was removed. The rats were euthanized at day 10 and day 20 for histological analysis and biomechanical testing. Our results showed that MSC treated group showed improved histological appearance and tensile strength. This study demonstrated that BMSCs has a potential to reduce scarring and improve tissue strength in wound healing.