Sustained Postnatal Skin Regeneration Upon Prenatal Application of Functionalized Collagen Scaffolds

November 2019 in “ Tissue Engineering Part A ”

Corien Oostendorp, Paul J. Geutjes, Frank Smit, Dorien M. Tiemessen, Sjoerd Polman, Aya Abbawi, Katrien M. Brouwer, Alex J. Eggink, Wout Feitz, Willeke F. Daamen, Toin H. Van Kuppevelt

collagen scaffolds heparin VEGF FGF2 epidermal thickness ECM gene expression hair follicle generation vascular endothelial growth factor fibroblast growth factor 2 extracellular matrix

TLDR Functionalized collagen scaffolds applied prenatally greatly improve skin regeneration.

The study evaluated the effects of prenatally applied functionalized collagen scaffolds on postnatal skin regeneration in sheep with full-thickness skin defects. The scaffolds, enhanced with heparin, VEGF, and FGF2, significantly improved skin regeneration, increasing the surface area of regenerated skin by 6.9 times compared to collagen alone. At 6 months, the functionalized scaffolds showed increased epidermal thickness, enriched ECM gene expression, and hair follicle generation similar to native skin. These findings suggested that such scaffolds could be beneficial for prenatal treatment of closure defects like spina bifida, promoting long-term skin growth and regeneration.

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