Abstract
Burns affect millions every year and a model to mimic the pathophysiology of such injuries in detail is required to better understand regeneration. The current gold standard for studying burn wounds are animal models, which are under criticism due to ethical considerations and a limited predictiveness. Here, we present a three-dimensional burn model, based on an open-source model, to monitor wound healing on the epidermal level. Skin equivalents were burned, using a preheated metal cylinder. The healing process was monitored regarding histomorphology, metabolic changes, inflammatory response and reepithelialization for 14 days. During this time, the wound size decreased from 25% to 5% of the model area and the inflammatory response (IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8) showed a comparable course to wounding and healing in vivo. Additionally, the topical application of 5% dexpanthenol enhanced tissue morphology and the number of proliferative keratinocytes in the newly formed epidermis, but did not influence the overall reepithelialization rate. In summary, the model showed a comparable healing process to in vivo, and thus, offers the opportunity to better understand the physiology of thermal burn wound healing on the keratinocyte level.
Highlights
About 11 million people suffer from severe burn injuries [1]
Human epidermal keratinocytes were isolated from foreskin biopsies obtained from juvenile donors under informed consent according to ethical approval granted by the local ethical committee
Burn Wounds Can Be Generated with a Heated Metal Rod and Regenerate over 14 Days
Summary
Even though the mortality rate of burn injuries decreased continuously in the past century, and treatment options were improved [2,3,4], there is a disproportionate distribution of fatal and non-fatal burn incidents around the world, with approximately 90% of burn deaths occurring in middle- and low-income countries. Despite improved treatment options and the decreasing mortality rate, fire-related burns are the third most frequent cause of injury deaths, globally [5]. Minor burns are not considered to be critical, the main focus of research concentrates on deep- and full-thickness burns. Current research approaches usually utilize animal models. While porcine models show a high pathophysiological resemblance to humans, there are still some important
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