Effect of acellular scaffold loaded with wharton’s jelly-derived stem cells on healing of burn model in rat

Abstract

Injury from severe burns is exacerbated by a sustained inflammatory response. This response is mediated by cytokines and chemokines, which are released from various immune cells and lead to an increase in infection, which in turn increases the risk of multiple organ failure and death. Despite advances in many aspects of burn treatment over the past decades, which have led to a reduction in mortality and its complications, general inflammatory conditions and secondary infections remain serious burn problems. In the present study, to reduce inflammation in burn injury and to investigate its effect on burn wound healing in rats, we used the ovine's small intestinal submucosa as a carrier for Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) and mineral pitch (MP). Methods and Materials: In this study, the ability of AOSIS to load and release MP was first investigated. Then WJ-MSCs were collected and the relevant surface markers were examined. In the final part of the in vitro section, viability and cell adhesion in the scaffold loaded by cell and MP were evaluated. We then developed a burn model in rats and divided them into 4 groups: group 1: burn, group 2: scaffold-treated burn, group 3: WJ-MSCs seeded scaffold-treated burn, and group 4: scaffolds loaded with WJ-MSCs and MP-treated burn. After treating the wounds in the relevant groups and sampling them on days 5, 14 and 21, inflammatory factors, histological and pathological parameters, and the expression of genes involved in angiogenesis and epithelialization were evaluated. Results: The in vitro results showed that the preparation of scaffolds by a modified method enabled them to load and release water-soluble drugs and that no toxicity was observed in scaffolds for WJ-MSCs in the presence of MP, and the viability, growth and proliferation of cells were preserved. The results in the in vivo part of the study indicate a decrease in pro-inflammatory factor and an increase in anti-inflammatory factor, a decrease in mast cell degranulation, a decrease in neutrophil and lymphocyte inflammatory cells, an increase in fibroblasts and blood vessels, and an increase in angiogenesis and epithelialization genes in burn wounds, which all led to greater wound healing in group 4 compared to the other groups.