Mariam H. Aldamaty, Radwa Hegazy And Zeinab Amin,

ABSTRACT
Tissue Engineering Can Enhance Skin Wound Healing Through Using Scaffolds To Mimic The Natural Extracellular Matrix. Many Biodegradable Materials Used As Scaffolds Such As Poly Lactic Acid (PLA). Thus, This Study Examined The Regenerative Potentials Of Unloaded PLA Scaffold Material Contra To PLA Loaded With Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF) In Subcutaneous Soft Tissue Defect.

Materials & Methods: 180 Adult Male Albino Rats Weighing 150-200gm. Were Divided Into 3 Groups; Group I (GI): The Induced Wound Left Without Treatments, Group II (GII): The Induced Wound Treated With Unloaded PLA Scaffold, Group III (GIII): The Induced Wound Treated With Loaded PLA Scaffold With BFGF. Each Group Subdivided Into (A&B) (30 Rats Each) According To Sacrificing Dates (7 And 14 Days Post-operatively). Specimens Of Rat?s Skin Wound Examined By Histological Examination, Immunohistochemical Reaction (ki-67), Histomorphometric Analysis And Statistical Analysis For The Immunohistochemistry Were Done.

Results: Histologically, GI.A Covered By Thin Keratin Layer With Discontinuity In Epithelium And Inflammatory Cells In (c.t). GII.A And GIII.A Revealed Normal Epithelium With Skin Appendages And No PLA Remnants. Results Of GI.B Were Similar To GI.A. While GII.B And GIII.B Showed Complete Wound Healing With Skin Appendages In (c.t) Dermis. Area Percent Of Ki-67 Revealed Highest Mean Value In GII.B, Lowest Mean Value In GIII.B With Statistically Significant Difference Between All Groups (p<0.0001). Conclusion: PLA Scaffold Enhanced Wound Healing With Superior Results To Untreated Rats, But PLA Scaffold Had Some Drawbacks As It Showed Foreign Body Reactions. Using PLA Scaffold In Combination With BFGF Overcame All The Problems Associated With The Process Of Wound Healing.