J Korean Soc Plast Reconstr Surg.  2001 Sep;28(5):571-575.

In Vivo Study of the Chitosan-Cross-Linked Collagen-Glycosaminoglycan Dermal Substrate

• Chung YS
• Yang WY
• Hong SP
• Park J
• Lee HY
• You WY
• Kang SH

Abstract

The treatment for full thickness skin defect with the full or split-thickness autograft was often associated with aesthetically poor result, hypertrophic scar or extensive injury on donor site. Because of this donor morbidity, the use of artificial dermis was considered, which was the substrate of collagen or collagen cross-linked with polyglactin or polylactin. Unfortunately this substrate was void of advantages for the artificial dermis but was of easy biodegradability, antigenicity, or cytotoxic property. Currently chitosan is given attention by many investigators for its biochemical properties in wound healing process. Chitosan is the deacetylated derivative of chitin, which is a polymer of 2-amino-2-deoxy glucose with chemically active free amino group. Chitosan facilitates wound healing process, and then stimulates migration of polymorphonuclear cell(PMN) and macrophage, release of IL-8 and accelerates collagen synthesis surely with vascularization. Indeed chitosan supplies the resistance against bacterial infection of the wound. In this study, we have investigated the clinical applicability of the artificial dermal substrate which is cross-linked of collagen and GAG with chitosan, which we have applied on the full thickness skin defect in Fisher rat. The conclusions are as the follows: 1. There was sufficient vascularization in the grafted dermal substrate for STSG after 2 weeks of artificial dermis grafting. 2. Four 4 weeks after artificial dermis grafting, the architecture of the dermal substrate was maintained in about half amounts and the half of dermal skeleton was replaced with the newly formed dermis(neodermis). In conclusion, the dermal substrate used in this study is available enough for wound of full thickness skin defect.

Keyword

Chitosan; Artificial dermal substrate

MeSH Terms

Animals
Autografts
Bacterial Infections
Chitin
Chitosan
Cicatrix, Hypertrophic
Collagen
Dermis
Equipment and Supplies
Glucose
Humans
Interleukin-8
Macrophages
Polyglactin 910
Polymers
Rats
Research Personnel
Skeleton
Skin
Tissue Donors
Transplants
Wound Healing
Wounds and Injuries
Chitin
Chitosan
Collagen
Glucose
Interleukin-8
Polyglactin 910
Polymers