TY - JOUR
T1 - Temporal evaluation of efficacy and quality of tissue repair upon laser-activated sealing
AU - Ghosh, Deepanjan
AU - Salinas, Christopher M.
AU - Pallod, Shubham
AU - Roberts, Jordan
AU - Makin, Inder Raj S.
AU - Yaron, Jordan R.
AU - Witte, Russell S.
AU - Rege, Kaushal
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Bioengineering & Translational Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
PY - 2023/3
Y1 - 2023/3
N2 - Injuries caused by surgical incisions or traumatic lacerations compromise the structural and functional integrity of skin. Immediate approximation and robust repair of skin are critical to minimize occurrences of dehiscence and infection that can lead to impaired healing and further complication. Light-activated skin sealing has emerged as an alternative to sutures, staples, and superficial adhesives, which do not integrate with tissues and are prone to scarring and infection. Here, we evaluate both shorter- and longer-term efficacy of tissue repair response following laser-activated sealing of full-thickness skin incisions in immunocompetent mice and compare them to the efficacy seen with sutures. Laser-activated sealants (LASEs) in which, indocyanine green was embedded within silk fibroin films, were used to form viscous pastes and applied over wound edges. A hand-held, near-infrared laser was applied over the incision, and conversion of the light energy to heat by the LASE facilitated rapid photothermal sealing of the wound in approximately 1 min. Tissue repair with LASEs was evaluated using functional recovery (transepidermal water loss), biomechanical recovery (tensile strength), tissue visualization (ultrasound [US] and photoacoustic imaging [PAI]), and histology, and compared with that seen in sutures. Our studies indicate that LASEs promoted earlier recovery of barrier and mechanical function of healed skin compared to suture-closed incisions. Visualization of sealed skin using US and PAI indicated integration of the LASE with the tissue. Histological analyses of LASE-sealed skin sections showed reduced neutrophil and increased proresolution macrophages on Days 2 and 7 postclosure of incisions, without an increase in scarring or fibrosis. Together, our studies show that simple fabrication and application methods combined with rapid sealing of wound edges with improved histological outcomes make LASE a promising alternative for management of incisional wounds and lacerations.
AB - Injuries caused by surgical incisions or traumatic lacerations compromise the structural and functional integrity of skin. Immediate approximation and robust repair of skin are critical to minimize occurrences of dehiscence and infection that can lead to impaired healing and further complication. Light-activated skin sealing has emerged as an alternative to sutures, staples, and superficial adhesives, which do not integrate with tissues and are prone to scarring and infection. Here, we evaluate both shorter- and longer-term efficacy of tissue repair response following laser-activated sealing of full-thickness skin incisions in immunocompetent mice and compare them to the efficacy seen with sutures. Laser-activated sealants (LASEs) in which, indocyanine green was embedded within silk fibroin films, were used to form viscous pastes and applied over wound edges. A hand-held, near-infrared laser was applied over the incision, and conversion of the light energy to heat by the LASE facilitated rapid photothermal sealing of the wound in approximately 1 min. Tissue repair with LASEs was evaluated using functional recovery (transepidermal water loss), biomechanical recovery (tensile strength), tissue visualization (ultrasound [US] and photoacoustic imaging [PAI]), and histology, and compared with that seen in sutures. Our studies indicate that LASEs promoted earlier recovery of barrier and mechanical function of healed skin compared to suture-closed incisions. Visualization of sealed skin using US and PAI indicated integration of the LASE with the tissue. Histological analyses of LASE-sealed skin sections showed reduced neutrophil and increased proresolution macrophages on Days 2 and 7 postclosure of incisions, without an increase in scarring or fibrosis. Together, our studies show that simple fabrication and application methods combined with rapid sealing of wound edges with improved histological outcomes make LASE a promising alternative for management of incisional wounds and lacerations.
KW - incisional wounds
KW - laser-activated sealing
KW - photoacoustic imaging
KW - skin barrier function recovery
KW - tissue adhesive
KW - tissue repair
KW - ultrasound
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U2 - 10.1002/btm2.10412
DO - 10.1002/btm2.10412
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85139078884
SN - 2380-6761
VL - 8
JO - Bioengineering and Translational Medicine
JF - Bioengineering and Translational Medicine
IS - 2
M1 - e10412
ER -