Vascularization is the next challenge for skin tissue engineering as a solution for burn management

Hady Shahin; Moustafa Elmasry; Ingrid Steinvall; Folke Söberg; Ahmed El-Serafi

doi:10.1093/burnst/tkaa022

Vascularization is the next challenge for skin tissue engineering as a solution for burn management

Burns Trauma. 2020 Aug 3:8:tkaa022. doi: 10.1093/burnst/tkaa022. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Hady Shahin^{1

2

3}, Moustafa Elmasry^{1

2}, Ingrid Steinvall^{1

2}, Folke Söberg^{1

2}, Ahmed El-Serafi^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Hand Surgery and Plastic Surgery and Burns, Linköping University Hospital, 581 85, Linköping, Östergötland, Sweden.
² The Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping University Hospital, 581 83, Linköping, Östergötland, Sweden.
³ Faculty of Biotechnology, MSA University, 26 July Mehwar Road, 125 85, 6th October City. Egypt.

Abstract

Skin regeneration represents a promising line of management for patients with skin loss, including burn victims. The current approach of spraying single cells over the defective areas results in variable success rates in different centers. The modern approach is to synthesize a multilayer skin construct that is based on autologous stem cells. One of the main complications with different types of transplants is sloughing due to the absence of proper vascularization. Ensuring proper vascularization will be crucial for the integration of skin constructs with the surrounding tissues. Combination of the right cells with scaffolds of proper physico-chemical properties, vascularization can be markedly enhanced. The material effect, pore size and adsorption of certain proteins, as well as the application of appropriate growth factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factors, can have an additive effect. A selection of the most effective protocols is discussed in this review.

Keywords: Burn; Regeneration; Skin; Tissue engineering; Vascularization.

Publication types

Review