Experimental study of skin wound healing with epidermal stem cells from human hypertrophic scar in nude mice / 中华整形外科杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of epidermal stem cells from human hypertrophic scar (HS-ESCs) on the skin wound healing in nude mice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>40 mice were randomly divided into two groups as experimental group (n = 20) and control group (n = 20). Wounds, 1 cm in diameters, were made on every mouse back. The wounds were treated with HS-ESCs and erythromycin ointment in experimental group, or only with erythromycin ointment in control group. The wound healing was observed during the following 14 days. The expression of collagen-I, collagen-III, epidermal growth factor (EGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) , transforming growth factor (TGFbeta1, and TGFbeta2) were studied.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The wound healing time in the experimental group was (20.8 +/- 0.84) d, which was (25.6 +/- 0.89) d in the control group. HE staining revealed that the extent of vascularization in the experimental group was 11.60 +/- 0.55, while it was 8.04 +/- 0.33 in the control group. Immunochemistry analysis showed the expression of collagen-I, collagen-III, EGF, FGF2, TGFbeta1, and TGFbeta2 in the experimental group were significantly higher, compared with those in control group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>HS-ESCs may promote wound healing through enhancement of the vascularization of the wound tissue and the expression of growth factors.</p>