In covering wounds, efforts should include utilization of the safest and least invasive methods with goals of achieving optimal functional and cosmetic outcome. The recent development of advanced wound healing technology has triggered the use of cells to improve wound healing conditions. The purpose of this review is to provide information on clinically available cell-based treatment options for healing of acute and chronic wounds. Compared with a variety of conventional methods, such as skin grafts and local flaps, the cell therapy technique is simple, less time-consuming, and reduces the surgical burden for patients in the repair of acute wounds. Cell therapy has also been developed for chronic wound healing. By transplanting cells with an excellent wound healing capacity profile to chronic wounds, in which wound healing cannot be achieved successfully, attempts are made to convert the wound bed into the environment where maximum wound healing can be achieved. Fibroblasts, keratinocytes, adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction cells, bone marrow stem cells, and platelets have been used for wound healing in clinical practice. Some formulations are commercially available. To establish the cell therapy as a standard treatment, however, further research is needed. http://dx.doi. org/10.3346/jkms.2014.29.3.311 • J Korean Med Sci 2014 29: 311-319 We all experience our fair share of wounds during the course of our lives. The art and science of wound healing are complex and intriguing. During the past few decades, various wound healing technologies for promoting cell activity or minimizing scar formation have been developed and some of them are being actively used at present. The aim of this paper is to provide information on cell-based treatment options in clinical setting for healing of acute and chronic wounds.
Keywords
Diabetic foot ulcers often pose a difficult treatment problem. Repeated applications of cell-based products have been reported to result in acceleration of diabetic wound healing. The purpose of this clinical trial study was to report preliminary findings of the efficacy and safety of the cultured allogeneic keratinocyte sheets in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. Fifty-nine patients with diabetic foot ulcers were randomized to either the keratinocyte treatment group (n = 27) or the control group treated with vaseline gauze (n = 32). Except for the application of keratinocytes, treatment of study ulcers was identical for patients in both groups. Either keratinocyte sheet or vaseline gauze was applied at the beginning of the study and weekly thereafter for a maximum of 11 weeks. The maximum follow-up period for each patient was 12 weeks. Complete ulcer healing was achieved in 100% of the treatment group and 69% of the control group (p < 0.05). The Kaplan-Meier median times to complete closure were 35 and 57 days for the keratinocyte and control groups, respectively. No adverse events related to the treatment occurred. These results indicate that cultured allogeneic keratinocytes may offer a safe and effective treatment for diabetic foot ulcers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.