title: Biological background of dermal substitutes.
abstract: Dermal substitutes are of major importance in treating full thickness skin defects, both in acute and chronic wounds. In this review we will outline specific requirements of three classes of dermal substitutes: Biological and clinical requirements will be translated to composition, physical structure, immunological properties and cell-matrix interactions of the various materials. Important properties like pore size, cell adhesion sites (e.g. RGD sequences), crosslinking, degradability and the presence of a basement membrane will be discussed for each of the different classes of materials.
authors.affiliation: Association of Dutch Burn Centers, Beverwijk, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Vincent C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: van der Veen
authors.forename: Martijn B A
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: van der Wal
authors.forename: Michiel C E
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: van Leeuwen
authors.forename: Magda M W
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ulrich
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Middelkoop
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000628:therapy*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing / Q000379:methods; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D017768:Skin, Artificial; D034421:Sus scrofa; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing