Autologous fibroblasts: cellular mesotherapy for skin rejuvenation
Clinical studies prove the effectiveness and safety of the use of fibroblasts for the correction of age-related skin changes.Fibroblasts are well amenable to cultivation (reproduction) in the laboratory without loss of their properties, do not cause allergic and other adverse reactions during transplantation, and are well preserved at ultra-low temperatures for many years.
If necessary, the cells can be removed, thawed and used for medicinal purposes.
The correction of skin defects with the help of fibroblasts has been known for a long time. Fibroblasts have been used for several years as part of the tissue–engineering equivalents of the skin, the so-called artificial skin, allowed in the USA and Europe. The names of such commercial fibroblast-based products as Apligraf® Organogenesis Dermagraft-TC (Smith & Nephew company, UK), AlloDerm (LifeCell company, USA) have been known to specialists for years. They are mainly used to treat burns, trophic ulcers and scars. In Russia, the Research Institute of Cytology in 2002 registered a medical device "Multilayer keratinocyte layer – an analogue of the epidermis of the skin for transplantation to burn surfaces sterile". However, the technology has not been commercialized.
If we talk about the use of fibroblasts in aesthetic medicine, tens of thousands of patients have already been successfully treated using this technique in Europe. In Russia, until recently, no organization had official permission to use this technique. Cosmetic procedures using fibroblasts, if carried out, were illegal, without licenses, by people who had not undergone specialized training.
In December 2009, a seminar dedicated to the most promising technologies in plastic surgery was held in New York. Of particular interest was the report of Dr. J. Peter Rubin "The future of stem cells in aesthetic and reconstructive surgery", in which he paid attention to cell therapy using fibroblasts using the Isolagen™ technique, owned by the biotech company Fibrocell Science Inc. Leading dermatologists find the method of correcting age-related and other skin changes using the patient's own fibroblasts quite effective.
Fibrocell Science Inc has successfully completed the 3rd phase of clinical trials and is awaiting a license for a skin cell therapy technique using dermal fibroblasts. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to issue an opinion on this issue approximately in the first half of 2010.
Dermatologists of Fibrocell Science Inc are confident that the technology of using autologous fibroblasts to correct skin defects is a method of skin treatment based on a unique biological mechanism that allows achieving a long-term clinical result. During reverse transplantation, cultured fibroblasts populate the dermis, actively synthesize the entire complex of extracellular matrix components, thereby restoring the physiological balance in the skin and the natural processes of renewal of its dermis. As a result, the appearance of the skin improves, its elasticity and elasticity increases, the depth of wrinkles decreases, the aging processes of the skin slow down.
Cosmetic procedures using fibroblasts are referred to as "cellular mesotherapy". A small (3 mm) fragment of skin is taken from the patient, from which it is obtained (cultured) in laboratory conditions his own (autologous) fibroblasts. Then, through a series of injections, local injection of living cells into the skin is carried out in order to restore its microstructure and improve its appearance.
Numerous clinical studies conducted in the USA, Europe and Russia clearly prove that fibroblast injections made by highly qualified specialists have a therapeutic effect at the level of the microstructure of the dermis, and the technology used is safe and effective.
Specialists of the Ural State Medical Academy and the Institute of Medical Cell Technologies have been monitoring the results of autologous fibroblast transplantation in 45 patients aged 43-60 years for 2 years. It was revealed that after the procedure, the disappearance of small and correction of deep wrinkles is observed, the turgor and elasticity of the skin increases, its thickness increases. The effect is increasing, reaches a maximum 15 months after the introduction of cells and persists for at least 2 years. There were no complications after autofibroblast transplantation during the follow-up period.
Studies of human skin samples conducted on the basis of the Russian State Medical University, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and the Center for Biological Methods of Treatment before and after the introduction of autologous fibroblasts demonstrated that after the introduction of cellular material, there is an increase in the thickness of the dermis, and the total collagen content increases by 3.5 times. The researchers concluded: cultured autologous fibroblasts can be effectively used in the anti-age therapy system to correct age-related skin changes.
According to Roszdravnadzor, in 2009, only two organizations in Russia had official permission from Roszdravnadzor for the clinical use of fibroblasts for the treatment of skin defects: the Human Stem Cell Institute and the A.I. Burnazyan Clinical Hospital No. 6 of the FMBA of Russia. However, these organizations do not yet offer these technologies for commercial use. The Human Stem Cell Institute plans to start providing this service in 2010.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru according to the materials of the press service of the ISC
25.03.2010