Penetrating injuries often result in complex physical and cognitive complications if not treated quickly. Despite advances in medical treatments, there remains a critical need for immediate interventions that could be used in extreme conditions, such as a battlefield, to enhance wound healing and improve long-term outcomes, to restore quality of life and combat readiness.
Our researchers have found that adipose stem cell (ASC) derived exosomes offer a promising solution for penetrating wounds, which occur 68% more frequently than civilian injuries. These exosome compositions can be lyophilized and combined with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, for topical administration to wounds to significantly promote healing, accelerate closure time, and reduce oxidative stress in human dermal fibroblasts (HDF). These methods enhance cell viability and support positive long-term outcomes, improving quality of life and combat readiness for injured individuals.
The image depicts HDF cells grown on a collagen scaffold to simulate 3D wound healing. Chronic inflammation was induced using 5 ng/mL LPS for 6 hours, followed by treatment with hASC exosomes (Exo) or exosomes depleted of GAS5 (Exo-G5) for 18 hours, with LPS maintained in the media. Wound closure was monitored every 24 hours and gap area calculated.