title: Human split-thickness skin allograft: skin substitute in the treatment of burn.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human skin allograft has been used as wound coverage for a long time; it is one of the most successful and widely used dressings for burn wounds in the world.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To prepare a freeze-dried human split-thickness skin allograft and evaluate its cytotoxicity, the structure and physical properties after processing methods and clinical efficacy in burn patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  After ensuring tissue safety, we lyophilized human cadaveric partial thickness skin and exposed it to gamma radiation. Histopathological and immunohistochemical properties, tensile strength and in vitro cytotoxicity were assayed for the skin samples. Then, we tested the samples in 11 patients with deep skin burn.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On histological and histopathological examinations, we found a normal skin structure. The tensile strength of the rehydrated freeze-dried human skin allograft was not lesser than the fresh human skin. Cell viability in MTT testing was more than 95%. None of our patients showed any signs of immunological reactions or complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gamma-irradiated freeze-dried human split-thickness skin is safe and non-toxic and can be used for the treatment of patients with deep skin burn.
authors.affiliation: Iranian Tissue Bank and Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mahdavi-Mazdeh
authors.affiliation: Iranian Tissue Bank and Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nozary Heshmati
authors.affiliation: Iranian Tissue Bank and Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: S A H
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Tavakoli
authors.affiliation: Shiraz Burn Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ayaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Azmoudeh Ardalan
authors.affiliation: Motahhary Burn Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Momeni
keywords: Cytotoxicity; Gamma irradiation; Lyophilization; Skin allograft; Skin burn; Tensile load