Regenerative Medicine for Neonatal Wound Healing

Abstract

Abstract: Neonates, especially premature newborns, have delicate skin that is susceptible to injury. Furthermore, they may acquire congenital skin diseases such as epidermolysis bullosa and aplasia cutis congenita that need prompt and effective treatment to reduce morbidity and mortality. Conventional management involves the covering of wound with a dressing, e.g., hydrogel, hydrocolloid and hydrofiber, which can maintain a moist wound environment that favours wound healing. More recently, regenerative medicine approaches using stem cells and skin substitutes have been introduced as bioactive substitutes to conventional wound dressings to promote and expedite neonatal wound healing, especially the difficulty to treat wounds that are deep and affect a large surface area. To date, the number of preclinical and clinical studies using stem cells and skin substitutes to treat neonatal skin diseases is still very limited. Results from these studies showed that regenerative medicine approaches are safe and effective in promoting the healing of neonatal skin diseases. In future, stem cells and skin substitutes can be combined with gene therapy to ameliorate injured skin in neonatal patients. Besides, cell-free approaches using the stem cell-derived secretome and extracellular vesicles are also gaining popularity as they are associated with fewer risks and hazards compared to stem cells. Herein, we discuss neonatal skin diseases, neonatal wound healing, the standard therapy for neonatal skin diseases, regenerative medicine approaches to promote neonatal skin regeneration and the future perspective of regenerative medicine in neonatal wound care.