Cytotoxicity, Epidermal Barrier Function and Cytokine Evaluation after Antiseptic Treatment in Bioengineered Autologous Skin Substitute

Abstract

Bioengineered autologous skin substitutes (BASS) technology is an emerging field for skin burn therapy. However, further studies on BASS characterization, viability against standard procedures for wound healing, and protocol optimization are necessary for the improvement of BASS technology for clinical use. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of common antiseptics for clinical use in BASS, focusing on cell viability, inflammatory cytokine pattern, and epithelium and skin barrier integrity, in order to establish the most adequate treatment for wound care after BASS grafting. Human keratinocytes (hKT) and dermal fibroblasts (hDF) were isolated from foreskin samples and integrated into hyaluronic acid-based BASS. The following antiseptics were applied every 48 h: ethanol (70%), chlorhexidine digluconate (1%), sodium hypochlorite (0.02%), povidone iodine (100 mg/mL), and polyhexanide (0.1%), during a follow-up of 16 days. Sodium hypochlorite was the only treatment that showed a high cell viability percentage throughout the evaluation time compared to other antiseptic treatments, as well as a similar cytokine secretion pattern as control BASS. No significant differences were found regarding epidermal barrier function. These findings point towards sodium hypochlorite being the least aggressive antiseptic treatment for BASS post-transplantation wound care.

Antibiotics against Pseudomonas aeruginosa on Human Skin Cell Lines: Determination of the Highest Non-Cytotoxic Concentrations with Antibiofilm Capacity for Wound Healing Strategies

“…The skin samples were processed as previously reported [ 14 ]. Briefly, the dermis and the epidermis were mechanically separated.…”

“…Antiseptics have been reported to be cytotoxic to skin cell lines and skin substitutes at clinical concentrations [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. However, few studies in the literature evaluate the impact of commonly used antibiotics on these cells and skin substitutes.…”

An Up-to-Date on Povidone-Iodine With Focus on Wound Management: Current Available Data and New Approaches

“…Most in vitro research papers reported that PVI display a cytotoxic effect on cells, with impact on cell viability, proliferation, migration and in vivo, on murine models, PVI delayed wound healing [27][28][29][30]. Brown et al…”

“…Regarding research area on cytotoxicity, all in vitro studies reported negative impact on cells, including on viability, proliferation and migration. From experimental design point of view, there is shift towards more complex models using human cells, either freshly isolated or cell lines as HaCat and CCD-1064Sk (neonatal fibroblast cell line) [27,28,30]. It is known that murine fibroblasts display increased tolerance when exposed to PVI, thus in vitro results may not always reflect results than can be translated into clinical settings [4].…”

The Tissue Engineering Revolution: From Bench Research to Clinical Reality

“…Our focus now shifts towards treatment protocols and biomedical materials. In this regard, a study in this Special Issue evaluates the effectiveness of antiseptic treatments on bioengineered autologous skin substitutes (BASSs), which play a vital role in advancing burn care protocols [5]. This theme of material innovation extends into cardiovascular territory, where a comprehensive review sheds light on the application of tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs), demonstrating the possibility of transformative future treatments for cardiovascular diseases [6].…”