Improvement of skin wound closure and quality of wound healing with a new ecobiological active complex using a scaffold-free 3d skin equivalent

Restoration of skin after injuries is crucial for life and its alteration can lead to persistent scar. We developed an active complex composed of 3 ingredients bio-inspired from components naturally present in the skin, to restore and optimize the natural skin wound healing process in accordance with the ecobiological approach. Ecobiology considers the skin as a living ecosystem interfacing with its environment and preserving its natural biology to act lastingly.

The efficacy of this new patented active complex (patent application filed) was assessed using a unique 3D human bilayered skin equivalent wound healing model. This model is made up entirely of human fibroblasts embedded in their own extracellular matrix, on which epidermal cells were seeded. After full epidermis formation, this scaffold-free 3D skin equivalent was injured with a biopsy punch, creating a 3 mm wound that extended through both epidermis and dermis. Then, the active complex was topically applied for 14 days. The wounded region was investigated for up to 14 days (D14) on re-epithelialization and dermal remodeling by using histological and immunohistological analysis.

From D4, the active complex significantly accelerated the re-epithelialization phase (+58% Ki67, +48% loricrin, +125% CD44), the dermal-epidermal junction regeneration (+160% collagen VII, +150% collagen XVII) and the dermis remodeling (+800% collagen III), compared to untreated condition. The wound closure area was also significantly reduced in the treated conditions (at D7, -88% vs. D0 compared to -36%). The active complex conditions showed at D14 a complete re-epithelialization of the wound resulting in a contiguous and well-organized epidermis, fully stratified including terminally differentiated stratum corneum, in contrast with the untreated control wound still in an immature stage.