Impact of transplanted fibroblasts on rabbit skin wounds

Objectives: To determine the effect of injected fibroblasts on full-thickness cutaneous wounds and to distinguish between the properties of fetal vs adult fibroblasts. Design: Full-thickness cutaneous wounds were created by incision in the skin of adult New Zealand white rabbits and treated with fluorescently labeled autogenic, allogenic, and xenogenic fetal and adult fibroblasts. Wound healing was evaluated by histologic analysis and tensiometry over time. Subjects: A total of 9 New Zealand white rabbits with 24 wounds per animal were examined in this study. Groups of 3 animals were treated with different fibroblasts and euthanized at 7, 14, and 28 days after manipulation. Intervention: Fibroblasts were labeled with a fluorescent dye (CM-Dil) and suspended in a hyaluronic acid gel. The cell-gel mix was used to treat full-thickness incisional wounds in rabbit skin. Imaging of CM-Dil determined the quantity and the migratory patterns of the transplanted fibroblasts present in the wounds. Tensiometry characterized the mechanical properties of the healed connective tissue. Results: Transplanted fibroblasts exhibited good survival and migration patterns. Cell therapy increased the tensile strength of the wounds. Allogenic fetal and autogenic adult fibroblasts achieved similar effects. Conclusions: Cell therapy is a viable approach to significantly affect the course of normal cutaneous wound healing, and cell lines from genetically unrelated donors do not appear to be disadvantaged by a host immune response compared with autogenic cell lines.