Comparative histological controlled study of human skin collagen fibers after cell therapy with fibroblasts

Introduction: The dermis is mainly composed of the extracellular matrix and fibroblasts that produce collagen types I and III, and elastic fibers. Objective: To verify through a prospective, comparative controlled clinical study whether there is an increase in the production of collagen fibers in healthy human skin after the injection of autologous fibroblasts in the dermis. Methods: Two skin fragments were collected from the right retro-auricular region of four women aged between 25 and 60 years. In one of the fragments, histology was carried out with Hematoxylin-Eosin and Picrosirius to qualify and quantify the collagen fibers (Control Group). A second fragment underwent enzymatic digestion in the laboratory aimed at extracting and culturing fibroblasts. After satisfactory growth (1 x 107 cells / ml) the cultured fibroblasts were injected in the left retro-auricular region of the patients (Study Group). Three months after biopsies were harvested from this region, they were subsequently stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin and Picrosirius for comparative study between the two groups. Results: Statistical analysis of the number of collagen fibers in the three layers of the dermis - upper, middle and deep - comparing the study and control groups, showed that the mean and median observed after the injection of the cells were greater than those observed before the injection. Conclusion: The injection of fibroblasts results in an increase in the amount of collagen fibers in all regions of the dermis, with the increase being greater in the deeper regions.

Keywords: FIBROBLASTS; CELL-AND TISSUE-BASED THERAPY; COLLAGEN