Dermal fibroblasts are cells of mesenchymal origin and their key role is the synthesis of structural elements of the skin, such as collagen, reticular and elastic laminae and GAGs. They play an important role in wound healing and skin regeneration. Understanding the regenerative potential of dermal fibroblasts for skin repair has led to the development of cell therapies for a variety of therapeutic indications, including burns, skin wounds, alopecia and cosmetic procedures. Fibroblasts are crucial in determining the regional identity of the skin, depending on their origin in different anatomical sites. Thus, dermal fibroblasts from different microanatomical compartments have different functionalities.
Clinical studies on the impact of in vitro cultured autologous fibroblasts injected into the skin were searched in the online databases Clinicaltrials.gov, Semanticsholar.org and the Cochrane library using predefined search strings. The inclusion criteria included clinical studies investigating the effect of injected autologous fibroblasts on facial skin to correct facial deformities, including age-related wrinkles (nasolabial folds, periorbital wrinkles, forehead and neck wrinkles, etc.) and acne scars. The review was limited to freely available clinical studies written in English.
In a systematic review of literature, we obtained a total of 12 clinical studies that were focused on therapeutic treatments and adhered to all inclusion and exclusion criteria. Most of the clinical trials we analyzed were randomized, multi-group and double-blind. On average, 105.3 participants took part in the trials. Most studies have confirmed the efficacy of injected autologous fibroblasts on facial skin with a very low incidence of side effects.
The field of application of cultured autologous fibroblasts for the correction of facial contour deformities is relatively new, but effective and indicates great potential for therapeutic use.
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