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World J Stem Cells. Mar 26, 2015; 7(2): 428-436
Published online Mar 26, 2015. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v7.i2.428
Vital roles of stem cells and biomaterials in skin tissue engineering
Abu Bakar Mohd Hilmi, Ahmad Sukari Halim
Abu Bakar Mohd Hilmi, School of Diagnostic and Biomedicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Kuala Nerus 21300, Terengganu, Malaysia
Ahmad Sukari Halim, Reconstructive Sciences Unit, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia
Author contributions: Mohd Hilmi AB and Halim AS were the contributors to this paper.
Supported by Postgraduate Research Grant Scheme of Universiti Sains Malaysia, No. 1001/PPSP/8144012; and TechnoFund grant from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Malaysia, No. 304/PPSP/6150101.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Ahmad Sukari Halim, MD, FCCP, Reconstructive Sciences Unit, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Jalan Raja Perempuan Zainab II, Kubang Kerian 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia. ashalim@usm.my
Telephone: +6-9-7676000 Fax: +6-9-7656434
Received: July 31, 2014
Peer-review started: August 1, 2014
First decision: August 28, 2014
Revised: September 29, 2014
Accepted: October 23, 2014
Article in press: October 27, 2014
Published online: March 26, 2015
Processing time: 232 Days and 1.6 Hours
Abstract

Tissue engineering essentially refers to technology for growing new human tissue and is distinct from regenerative medicine. Currently, pieces of skin are already being fabricated for clinical use and many other tissue types may be fabricated in the future. Tissue engineering was first defined in 1987 by the United States National Science Foundation which critically discussed the future targets of bioengineering research and its consequences. The principles of tissue engineering are to initiate cell cultures in vitro, grow them on scaffolds in situ and transplant the composite into a recipient in vivo. From the beginning, scaffolds have been necessary in tissue engineering applications. Regardless, the latest technology has redirected established approaches by omitting scaffolds. Currently, scientists from diverse research institutes are engineering skin without scaffolds. Due to their advantageous properties, stem cells have robustly transformed the tissue engineering field as part of an engineered bilayered skin substitute that will later be discussed in detail. Additionally, utilizing biomaterials or skin replacement products in skin tissue engineering as strategy to successfully direct cell proliferation and differentiation as well as to optimize the safety of handling during grafting is beneficial. This approach has also led to the cells’ application in developing the novel skin substitute that will be briefly explained in this review.

Keywords: Hair follicle stem cells; Skin repair; Tissue engineering; Chitosan; Collagen

Core tip: Biomaterials and epithelial stem cells, and especially hair follicle stem cells are vital components for successful skin tissue engineering. Ignoring one of these components will decrease the opportunity for skin tissue engineering to foster complete healing through skin repair and will increase the failure of skin grafting in the clinical setting. The latest technology, new raw biomaterials and information on the significant contribution of stem cells are likely to be of great benefit to skin tissue engineering.