-Original-

Clinical Application and Histological Properties of Autologous Tissue-engineered Skin Equivalents Using an Acellular Dermal Matrix

Yoshihiro Takami¹, Ryo Yamaguchi², Shimpei Ono¹ and Hiko Hyakusoku¹

¹Department of Plastic Surgery, Nippon Medical School
²Department of Emergency Medicine and Burn Center, Kyorin University School of Medicine

We developed a transplantable tissue-engineered skin equivalent composed of autologous cultured keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and a decellularized allogeneic dermis (acellular allogeneic dermal matrix; ADM) obtained from cadavers. In a process taking 3 weeks, cultured autologous keratinocytes from burn patients were expanded and then grown on ADMs. The tissue-engineered autologous skin equivalents (TESEs) were then transplanted in a one-stage procedure to the debrided third-degree burn wounds of 4 patients. The mean graft survival rate was 96%. Delayed graft loss and graft fragility were not observed. Histological and immunohistological findings indicated that the transplanted TESE had similar characteristics to normal human split-thickness skin grafts. These results suggest that the TESE using ADM can be used for permanent repair of full-thickness skin defects.

J Nippon Med Sch 2014; 81: 356-363

Keywords
tissue engineering, skin equivalent, acellular dermal matrix

Correspondence to
Yoshihiro Takami, MD, PhD, Plastic Surgery, Tokyo Rosai Hospital, 4-13-21 Oomori-minami, Oota-ku, Tokyo 143-0013, Japan
Takanyonyal@yahoo.co.jp

Received, March 31, 2014
Accepted, May 20, 2014