Effect of radiation and cell implantation on wound healing in a rat model.
OBJECTIVE
Having shown that intra-dermal injection of fibroblasts decreases the effect of radiation on healing of superficial wounds, we now test the effect of fibroblasts and syngeneic marrow stromal cells on irradiated deep and superficial wounds.


METHODS
Wistar rats received bilateral buttock irradiation followed by partial excision of the gluteus muscle bilaterally. In Protocol 1, one irradiated wound was treated with 1.2 x 10(7) autologous cells injected intra-dermally. In Protocol 2, the experimental side was treated with a fibrin and autologous cell implant (1.2 x 10(7) cells). Twenty-one days later, wound mechanical characteristics were tested. In Protocol 3, the effect of pooled marrow stromal cells on healing of superficial irradiated wounds in Lewis rats was similarly tested.


RESULTS
The fibrin-fibroblast implant (Protocol 2) had no effect on wound mechanics. Superficial injection of fibroblasts (Protocol 1) significantly improved wound breaking strength when compared to the control group (mean +/- SEM, breaking strength: treated 504.6 +/- 37.0 g vs. control 353.4 +/- 35.2 g, P = 0.005). The dermal injection of marrow stromal cells also resulted in marked increases in breaking strength (mean +/- SEM, breaking strength: treated 338.5 +/- 39.9 g vs. control 187.1 +/- 12.0 g, P < 0.01). In both Protocols 1 and 3, ultimate tensile strength and toughness were increased in the side receiving cell transplantation.


CONCLUSIONS
Cell implantation holds promise for decreasing the effect of radiation on healing of irradiated wounds.
Dantzer
Dale
D
The Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Ferguson
Peter
P
Hill
Richard P
RP
Keating
Armand
A
Kandel
Rita A
RA
Wunder
Jay S
JS
O'Sullivan
Brian
B
Sandhu
Jas
J
Waddell
Jennifer
J
Bell
Robert S
RS
D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D017690:Cell Transplantation; D005337:Fibrin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000637:transplantation*; D007271:Injections, Intradermal; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000637:transplantation; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014945:Wound Healing; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000628:therapy*
D005337:Fibrin