Mesenchymal stem cells: potential for therapy and treatment of chronic non-healing skin wounds

Abstract

Wound healing is a complex physiological process including overlapping phases (hemostatic/inflammatory, proliferating and remodeling phases). Every alteration in this mechanism might lead to pathological conditions of different medical relevance. Treatments for chronic non-healing wounds are expensive because reiterative treatments are needed. Regenerative medicine and in particular mesenchymal stem cells approach is emerging as new potential clinical application in wound healing. In the past decades, advance in the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying wound healing process has led to extensive topical administration of growth factors as part of wound care. Currently, no definitive treatment is available and the research on optimal wound care depends upon the efficacy and cost-benefit of emerging therapies. Here we provide an overview on the novel approaches through stem cell therapy to improve cutaneous wound healing, with a focus on diabetic wounds and Systemic Sclerosis-associated ulcers, which are particularly challenging. Current and future treatment approaches are discussed with an emphasis on recent advances.

Keywords: adipose stem cells; autoimmune diseases; diabetes; mesenchymal stem cells; systemic sclerosis; ulcer; wound.

Figure 1.

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy: role and function Depending on the microenvironment, MSCs are able to secrete several factors which may exert different functions via the release of different types of molecules involved in angiogenesis, immunomodelation, homing, ECM deposition and remodelling, proliferation, anti-apoptosis, and neuroprotection.

Figure 2.

SVF features SVF is composed of many mature, progenitor and stem cell types.