Hyaluronic acid hydrogel loaded by adipose stem cells enhances wound healing by modulating IL-1β, TGF-β1, and bFGF in burn wound model in rat

Application of hydrogels can be an effective technique in transferring the adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) to injured tissue and their protection from further complications. Besides, acellular dermal matrix (ADM) has successfully been used in treatment of wounds. In this study, a combination of hylauronic acid (HA) and ASCs (HA/ASCs) was applied on burn wounds and the injured area was then covered by an ADM dressing in a rat model (ADM-HA/ASCs). Wound healing was evaluated by histopathological, histomorphometrical, molecular, biochemical, and scanning electron microscopy assessments on days 7, 14, and 28 post-wounding. ADM-HA/ASCs stimulated healing significantly more than the ADM-HA and ADM treated wounds, as it led to reduced inflammation, and improved angiogenesis and enhanced granulation tissue formation. Expression of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) was lower in the ADM-HA/ASCs treated wounds than the ADM-HA and ADM groups, at the seventh post-wounding day. ADM-HA/ASCs also enhanced the expression level of TGF-beta 1 mRNA at 14 day post-wounding that was parallel to the experimental data from histological and biochemical assessments and confirmed the positive role of ASCs in repair of burn wounds. Additionally, increase in basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) expression and decreased TGF-beta 1 level on the 28th post-wounding day indicated the anti-scarring activity of ASCs. HA loaded by adipose stem cells can represent a promising strategy in accelerating burn wound healing.