Tropoelastin Incorporation into a Dermal Regeneration Template Promotes Wound Angiogenesis

Severe burn injury results in substantial skin loss and cannot be treated by autografts. The Integra Dermal Regeneration Template (IDRT) is the lead- ing synthetic skin substitute because it allows for wound bed regeneration and wound healing. However, all substitutes suffer from slow blood vessel ingrowth and would benefi t considerably from enhanced vascularization to nurture tissue repair. It is shown here that by incorporating the human elastic protein tropoelastin into a dermal regeneration template (TDRT) we can pro- mote angiogenesis in wound healing. In small and large animal models com- prising mice and pigs, the hybrid TDRT biomaterial and IDRT show similar contraction to autografts and decrease wound contraction compared to open wounds. In mice, TDRT accelerates early stage angiogenesis by 2 weeks, as evidenced by increased angiogenesis fl uorescent radiant effi ciency in live ani- mal imaging and the expression of endothelial cell adhesion marker CD146. In the pig, a full thickness wound repair model confi rms increased numbers of blood vessels in the regenerating areas of the dermis closest to the hypo- dermis and immediately below the epidermis at 2 weeks post-surgery. It is concluded that including tropoelastin in a dermal regeneration template has the potential to promote wound repair through enhanced vascularization.