Treating skin wounds in Veterinary Medicine: conventional versus innovative therapies

The loss of skin integrity may induce important dysfunctions and, in large wounds, it is difficult to obtain the restitutioadintegrum. The aim of this study was to verify the efficacy of conventional and innovative topic treatments on skin regeneration. To achieve this goal different types of investigations were performed. Six lesions were surgically created on the back of six healthy adult sheep; every single wound was destined to different conventional (acemannan gel, manuka honey, hyaluronic acid) or innovative treatments such as allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells and plasma gas. The sixth wound was the placebo.Biopsies were collected at time T0, T15 and T40 days. Lesions were clinically evaluated. Histological examinations considered re-epithelization and epidermal thickness. Immunohistochemistry for the evaluation of inflammation, vascularization, and cell proliferation was performed using CD3, CD20, MHCII, von Willebrand factor and KI67 antibodies. Real time-PCR investigated transcripts such as VEGF, TGF-beta 1, Vimentin, Collagen 1α1 and hair Keratin.Clinically, the lesions treated with MSCs healed more rapidly with respect to the placebo. From the second week onwards, all wounds did not show presence of fluid and exhibited a dry and clean secondary layer. MSCs treatment reached the optimal healing since the new tissue presented a mature organization and skin annexes. To sum up, MSCs isolated from peripheral blood can be used in vivo to regenerate wound healing suggesting their involvement not only to improve the healing of primary intention but also for the stimulation of secondary intention.