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. 2024 Jan 13;14(1):1253.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-51608-4.

New strategies for sterilization and preservation of fresh fish skin grafts

Ahmed Ibrahim  1 , Hossam M Fahmy  2 , Ghada Abd-Elmonsef Mahmoud  3 , Mahmoud Soliman  4   5 , Abdelnaby M Elshahawy  6
Affiliations

New strategies for sterilization and preservation of fresh fish skin grafts

Ahmed Ibrahim et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

The introduction of fish skin as a biological dressing for treating burns and wounds holds great promise, offering an alternative to existing management strategies. However, the risk of disease transmission is a significant concern. Therefore, this study aimed to examine how established sterilization and preservation procedures affected fish skin grafts' microbiological and histological properties for long-term usage. Lyophilization of the fish skin graft followed by rehydration in normal saline for 15 min did not change the collagen content. Furthermore, gamma irradiation of the lyophilized fish skin graft at different lengths 5, 10, and 25 KGy showed a significant reduction in microbial growth (aerobic bacteria, aerobic yeasts, and fungi) at 15- and 30 days after the irradiation. However, exposure to 10 KGy was found to be the most effective intensity among the different gamma irradiation lengths since it preserved the collagen fiber content and intensity in the lyophilized fish skin grafts at 15- and 30 days after the irradiation. These findings provide efficient preservation and sterilization methods for long-term usage of the fresh Tilapia skin grafts used for biological dressings.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) and (B) Gross micrographs of the fish skin after the lyophilization, (C) vacuum- packaging.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Total accounts (CFU/cm2 ± S.D) of aerobic bacteria (A), aerobic yeasts (B), and aerobic filamentous fungi (A) on lyophilized fish skin sterilized with gamma irradiation (0, 5, 10, 25).
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) and (B) Histological and histochemical evaluations of the fresh Tilapia skin, (C) and (D) the lyophilized Tilapia skin. (A, C) Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections. (B, D) Gomori’s trichrome-stained sections for collagen. The scale bars = 100 μm.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Histological and histochemical evaluations of the lyophilized Tilapia fish skin submitted to different irradiation dosages 15-days post-sterilization. Hematoxylin and eosin stained sections were irradiated at 5 (A), 10 (C), and 25 (E) kGy. (B), (D), and (F) Gomori’s trichrome stained sections for collagen. The scale bars = 100 μm.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Histological and histochemical evaluations of the lyophilized Tilapia fish skin submitted to different irradiation dosages 30-days post-sterilization. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections were irradiated at 5 (A), 10 (C), and 25 (E) kGy. (B), (D), and (F) Gomori’s trichrome stained sections for collagen. The scale bars = 100 μm.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Evaluation of the collagen integrity, organization, and intensity in the lyophilized Tilapia fish skin submitted to different irradiation dosages. Collagen integrity and organization were evaluated based on a 0–3 scale as described in the materials and methods. The collagen intensity was quantified using ImageJ. The results are expressed as a percentage of the total number of pixels and are normalized to the control-treated group. Differences were evaluated using one-way ANOVA. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.001; ***p < 0.0001.
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