title: Evaluation of skin regeneration after burns in vivo and rescue of cells after thermal stress in vitro following treatment with a keratin biomaterial.
abstract: Thermal burns typically display an injury pattern dictated by the transfer of the thermal energy into the skin and underlying tissues and creation of three zones of injury represented by a necrotic zone of disrupted cells and tissue, an intermediate zone of injured and dying cells, and a distant zone of stressed cells that will recover with proper treatment. The wound healing capabilities of a keratin biomaterial hydrogel were studied in two pilot studies, one using a chemical burn model in mice and the other a thermal burn model in swine. In both studies, keratin was shown to prevent enlargement of the initial wound area and promote faster wound closure. Interestingly, treating thermally stressed dermal fibroblast in culture demonstrated that soluble keratin was able to maintain cell viability and promote proliferation. Separation of so-called alpha and gamma fractions of the keratin biomaterial had differential effects, with the gamma fraction producing more pronounced cell survival and recovery. These results suggest that the gamma fraction, composed essentially of degraded alpha keratin proteins, may facilitate cell rescue after thermal injury. Treatment of burns with gamma keratin may therefore represent a potential therapy for wounds with an intermediate zone of damaged tissue that has the potential to contribute to spontaneous healing.
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Poranki
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Whitener
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Howse
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mesen
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Howse
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Burnell
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Greengauz-Roberts
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Molnar
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston Salem, NC, USA Virginia Tech - Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Blacksburg, VA, USA mvandyk5@vt.edu.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Dyke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002056:Burns / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002057:Burns, Chemical / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels; D007633:Keratins / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008422:Materials Testing; D051379:Mice; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D034421:Sus scrofa; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D020100:Hydrogels; D007633:Keratins
keywords: Keratin; burn; heat shock; hydrogel; skin; wound