Three-dimensional hyaluronic acid grafts promote healing and reduce scar formation in skin incision wounds

• Published in: Journal of biomedical materials research 2003-10, Vol.67B (1), p.586-592
• Main Authors: Hu, Min, Sabelman, Eric E., Cao, Yang, Chang, James, Hentz, Vincent R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cells, Cultured; Cicatrix - pathology; Cicatrix - prevention & control; Culture Techniques; extracellular matrix; Female; hyaluronic acid; Hyaluronic Acid - chemistry; Hyaluronic Acid - therapeutic use; Keratinocytes - cytology; Keratinocytes - metabolism; Male; Medical sciences; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Regeneration - physiology; scar; Skin - injuries; Skin - pathology; Technology. Biomaterials. Equipments. Material. Instrumentation; TGF beta; Transforming Growth Factor beta - metabolism; Transforming Growth Factor beta1; Transplants; Wound Healing
• ISSN: 1552-4973; 0021-9304; 1552-4981; 1097-4636
• DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.20001

Hyaluronic acid (HA) has been found to play important roles in tissue regeneration and wound‐healing processes. Fetal tissue with a high concentration of HA heals rapidly without scarring. The present study employed HA formed into three‐dimensional strands with or without keratinocytes to treat full‐thickness skin incision wounds in rats. Wound closure rates of HA strand grafts both with and without keratinocytes were substantially enhanced. The closure times of both HA grafts were less than 1 day (average 16 h), about 1/7 that of the contralateral control incisions (114 h, p < .01). Average wound areas after 10 days were HA‐only graft: 0.151 mm2 ± 0.035; HA + cell grafts: 0.143 mm2 ± 0.036 and controls: 14.434 mm2 ± 1.175, experimental areas were 1% of the controls (p < 0.01). Transforming growth factor (TGF) β1 measured by immunostaining was remarkably reduced in HA‐treated wounds compared to the controls. In conclusion, HA grafts appeared to produce a fetal‐like environment with reduced TGF‐β1, which is known to be elevated in incipient scars. The HA strands with or without cultured cells may potentially improve clinical wound healing as well as reduce scar formation. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 67B: 586–592, 2003