Mutable collagenous tissue isolated from echinoderms: a new dermal template that is biocompatible and effective for wound healing

Strategies for skin regeneration have been developed and dermal substitutes have been used to cover the lesion to facilitate cell proliferation, although very little is known about the application of novel matrix obtained from marine collagen. The mutable collagenous tissue (MCT) of echinoderms possesses biological peculiarities that facilitate native collagen extraction and employment for biomedical applications such as regenerative purposes for the treatment of skin wounds. From food waste we isolated eco-friendly collagen, naturally enriched with glycosaminoglycans, to produce an innovative marine-derived biomaterial assembled as a novel bi-layered skin substitute (Marine Collagen Dermal Template or MCDT). The study aimed to compare the regenerative efficacy and biocompatibility of Marine Collagen Dermal Template (MCDT) with Integra Dermal Regeneration Template (IDRT) in an in vivo rat model of skin wounds. Results showed that MCDT promoted accelerated wound closure compared to IDRT at 5 days post-surgery, with similar closure rates at 10 days. Histological analysis revealed higher inflammation in MCDT-treated wounds at 5 days, followed by similar patterns at 10 days. MCDT-treated wounds exhibited an earlier and more extensive angiogenesis process at 10 days, supported by higher gene expression levels of pro-angiogenic factors VEGF and PDGF-B. MCDT-treated wounds also displayed an increased presence of mature collagen (COL1A1) at both time points, suggesting enhanced tissue maturation. Therefore, the two dermal templates used in this study displayed similar biocompatibility and outcome with focus on full-thickness skin wounds, although a peculiar cellular behavior involving the angiogenesis process was observed for the MCDT. Despite the promising results, the study acknowledged limitations such as the small sample size and the preliminary nature of the findings. These exploratory results suggest the potential of MCDT as a novel biomaterial for skin wound treatment, warranting further investigation with larger sample sizes.