Stem cells are incredible tools that could unlock new frontiers in regenerative medicine. New research has revealed that a certain kind of stem cell, called Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), can heal wounds quicker by delivered it to injured tissues with dissolvable microneedles.
MSCs replenish bones, cartilage, muscle, and fat cells in the body. However, scientists have recently discovered that they have a wide range of healing potential as well. If MCSs are introduced to injured tissue, it can boost the formation of new blood vessels, keep cells alive, and reduce inflammation.
The only problem is that injecting MSCs into the tissue with regular needles can lead to further damage and scarring. On top of that, it takes significant amounts of the cells to ensure that enough of them stick around to complete their task. Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Terasaki Institute decided to take a different, less invasive approach to deliver MSCs more effectively – with microneedles.
Microneedles are so minuscule that they can penetrate skin or tissue painlessly and are typically arranged in a patch of thousands. Microneedles are made of the drug they’re delivering; once they’re in the skin, they dissolve slowly, releasing the drug over time.
The team made the microneedles out of a gelatin matrix and MSCs, which were then encased in a shell made from a biomaterial known as PLGA. Once implanted in a wound, the PLGA is first to dissolve, then the microneedles start to poke out between the cracks, allowing them to deliver the drug slowly. In laboratory experiments, the researchers found that 90% of the MSCs were still alive and functioning after 24 hours.
The team then tested mice that had small patches of skin removed, with a system called Detachable Hybrid Microneedle Depot (d-HMND), which involves applying the microneedles to the wound using scotch tape that can be peeled away to leave them behind. The technique successfully sped up the contraction of the wound, regrowth of hair and skin, encouraged remodeling of tissue and the creation of new blood vessels, and reduced inflammation.
Ali Khademhosseini, the study’s co-corresponding author, said:
In future scenarios, d-HMNDs could be rapidly fabricated in clinical laboratories shortly before use, applied to treat skin injuries, and explored more broadly as treatments for a variety of other disorders, including melanoma and other dermatological disorders that could benefit from the power of MSC cells. The concept would even be compatible with using patient-derived cells in more personalized device approaches.
The findings are detailed in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
