A Prototype Skin Substitute, Made of Recycled Marine Collagen, Improves the Skin Regeneration of Sheep

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 5; p. 1219
• Main Authors: Melotti, Luca, Martinello, Tiziana, Perazzi, Anna, Iacopetti, Ilaria, Ferrario, Cinzia, Sugni, Michela, Sacchetto, Roberta, Patruno, Marco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 23.04.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Animals; Appendages; Biocompatibility; Biomaterials; Biomedical materials; Biotechnology; Cell proliferation; Collagen; Collagen (type I); Dermis; Food industry; Food processing industry; Food waste; Gene expression; Granulation; Growth factors; In vivo methods and tests; Inflammation; innovative therapies; marine collagen; Marine ecosystems; Marine organisms; Maturation; Membranes; Mimicry; regenerative medicine; Scars; sea urchin; Sheep; Silicones; Skin; Skin diseases; skin substitute; Substitutes; Tissue engineering; Tissues; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Waste materials; Waste treatment; Wound healing; tissue engineering; wound healing; marine collagen; innovative therapies; regenerative medicine; circular economy; biomaterials; sea urchin; skin substitute; 3D scaffolds
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani11051219

Skin wound healing is a complex and dynamic process that aims to restore lesioned tissues. Collagen-based skin substitutes are a promising treatment to promote wound healing by mimicking the native skin structure. Recently, collagen from marine organisms has gained interest as a source for producing biomaterials for skin regenerative strategies. This preliminary study aimed to describe the application of a collagen-based skin-like scaffold (CBSS), manufactured with collagen extracted from sea urchin food waste, to treat experimental skin wounds in a large animal. The wound-healing process was assessed over different time points by the means of clinical, histopathological, and molecular analysis. The CBSS treatment improved wound re-epithelialization along with cell proliferation, gene expression of growth factors (VEGF-A), and development of skin adnexa throughout the healing process. Furthermore, it regulated the gene expression of collagen type I and III, thus enhancing the maturation of the granulation tissue into a mature dermis without any signs of scarring as observed in untreated wounds. The observed results (reduced inflammation, better re-epithelialization, proper development of mature dermis and skin adnexa) suggest that sea urchin-derived CBSS is a promising biomaterial for skin wound healing in a "blue biotechnologies" perspective for animals of Veterinary interest.