Effect of Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 on Melanocyte Proliferation in Tissue-Engineered Skin Substitutes.

ABSTRACT: Burn patients treated with tissue-engineered skin substitutes (TESs) often experience pigmentation irregularities, including hypopigmentation and pigmentation spots. These issues are thought to stem from the reduced presence of melanocytes through dilution during TES manufacturing. To address this, we hypothesized that supplementing epithelial cell cultures-primarily composed of keratinocytes but also containing melanocytes-with Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 (FGF-2), a known promoter of melanocyte proliferation, could enhance melanocyte growth. This would potentially increase their numbers in TESs and improve pigmentation outcomes. Our findings indicate that FGF-2, at an optimal dose of 0.2 nM, effectively maintains melanocyte numbers in 2D cultures and epithelial cell cultures through the fi

SUBMITTER: Ferland K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11855325 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature