CLINICAL EVALUATION OF AN ALLOGENEIC CULTURED DERMAL SUBSTITUTE COMPOSED OF FIBROBLASTS WITHIN A SPONGY COLLAGEN MATRIX

Abstract

We have developed an allogeneic cultured dermal substitute (CDS) that was prepared by plating fibroblasts on to a spongy collagen matrix and culturing them for 7 to 10 days. The matrix was freeze-dried from a 1% aqueous solution of bovine-hide atelocollagen. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of promoting epithelialisation clinically on 26 donor-site wounds for split-thickness skin grafts. One half of a wound was covered with an allogeneic CDS and the other half side was covered with a commercially-available freeze-dried porcine dermis (FPD). Both macroscopically and histologically the epithelialisation on the area of the donor site that was covered with allogeneic CDS was more rapid than that covered with FPD. In a representative donor-site wound covered with allogeneic CDS, there was a stratified structure of epithelial cells on the underlying connective tissue on day 5, and the epithelium had matured by day 12. When covered with FPD a stratified structure of epithelial cells was noted on day 8, and the epithelium had matured by day 15. We conclude that allogeneic CDS provides a good environment for epithelialisation.