Long-term effectiveness of local BM-MSCs for skeletal muscle regeneration: a proof of concept obtained on a pig model of severe radiation burn

Background Medical management of the severe musculocutaneous radiation syndrome involves surgical intervention with debridement of necrotic tissue. Even when skin excision is replaced by specific plastic surgery, treatment of the muscle radiation injury nonetheless remains difficult, for it involves a massive muscle defect in an unpredictable environment, subject to inflammatory waves weeks to months after irradiation, which delay healing and predispose the patient to the development of fibrous scar tissue. In this study, we investigated the long-term effect of local injections of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs), combined with plastic surgery, to treat muscle necrosis in a large animal model.