Decellularized Wharton's Jelly Matrix as a Three Dimensional Scaffold for Wound Healing and Hair Regeneration Applications

This study explored the use of Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs) seeded onto a decellularized Wharton's jelly matrix (DWJM) for skin regeneration in a mouse model. The research demonstrated that WJMSCs, when cultured in osteogenic differentiation media on DWJM, could generate hair-like structures and showed ectodermal differentiation by expressing markers such as cytokeratin19, collagen I, and alpha-smooth muscle actin. However, complete skin regeneration with appendages like hair follicles and sebaceous glands was only achieved when differentiated WJMSCs were transplanted on an acellular dermal graft (DG). The combination of DWJM and DG with differentiated WJMSCs resulted in complete skin regeneration, although the development of skin appendages was less pronounced. This approach highlighted the potential of using WJMSCs and tissue-engineered scaffolds for treating full-thickness skin wounds.