The clinical demand for effective dermal substitutes continues as current commercially available products present limitations. However, there are no definitive in vitro methods to predict in vivo outcomes such as integration, cellularization and contraction, which may help the development of new dermal scaffolds. This study aimed to develop a multiparameter in vitro model of three-dimensional (3D) cell ingress into dermal scaffolds to predict in vivo outcomes of new dermal scaffolds under development. A new dermal scaffold, Smart Matrix, was compared to the scar-forming contractile collagen gel model and to the clinically well-established Integra(®) and Matriderm(®). Parameters studied were cell viability and proliferation, apoptosis, matrix contraction, cell morphology, α-smooth muscle actin, and growth factor expression. Combinatorial evaluation of the results in a scoring matrix showed that Smart Matrix could offer an advantage over existing products. This method would be useful as an international golden scoring matrix to develop new dermal scaffolds that effectively improve the existing products, thus enabling better treatments for burns or chronic wounds.
Keywords: biomaterials; tissue engineering; wounds.