Introduction: Over the past few decades, tissue engineering techniques for skin regeneration and wound healing have evolved. During normal wound healing, Growth factors (GFs), cytokines, chemokines, and other cells work in coordination to form a dynamic and intricate multiple-phase process. Failure at these stages could result in persistent wounds and aberrant scar development. Tissue engineering aims to develop skin replacement products for accelerated wound healing. Using biomaterials essential for the growth and differentiation of cells, scaffolds, and other temporary biostructures can be created as advanced techniques used in wound repair and skin regeneration. Synthetic, natural, or composite biomaterials are used in skin tissue engineering to produce many different types of scaffolds, such as acellular structures, hydrogels, microspheres, porous, and fibrous to mimic an environment similar to the cell’s original microenvironment. They could also act as a delivery system for active biological proteins called growth factors (GFs). GFs play a crucial part in the complex wound-healing process by regulating the cellular processes necessary for tissue regeneration and repair. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a concentrated source of GFs. Alpha granules of active platelets release platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), epidermal growth factor (EGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) which are involved in the wound healing.
Methods: PRP contain a large variety of growth factors and cytokines, which are critical to wound healing. These factors also encourage the proliferation, differentiation, and migration of cells, including fibroblasts, epithelial, endothelium, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Additionally, they aid in the revascularization of the injured tissue, angiogenesis, collagen formation, and hemostasis. Activated PRP (e.g., with CaCl2), releases a high concentration of growth factors, and forms a gel or clot that has shown positive clinical outcomes for wound healing as a point-of-care autologous therapeutic. Nonetheless, numerous reports give contradictory results. The mismatch between the mechanical properties of PRP gel and native skin, as well as the growth factors undesired burst release profile which would probably be more successful if administered continuously via a biomaterial are suggested downsides of employing PRP directly as a gel. Regarding this, it has been demonstrated that biomaterial-based scaffolds can enhance the mechanical characteristics of fibrin gels that are not produced from PRP and can regulate the release of GFs under specific processing circumstances.
Results: Combining PRP with other biomaterials is one strategy to extend their activities. Biomaterials can guard against both the loss of their bioactivity and rapid burst release. Biomaterials are mostly safe drug carriers that the body can recognize, accept, and identify. They also prevent degradation and allow for a prolonged release of the drugs. Consequently, PRP has been most frequently coupled with biomaterials in recent years for therapeutic applications. The majority of the time, adding PRP directly to biomaterials enhanced human skin fibroblasts, keratinocytes, and stem cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation. Furthermore, in vivo studies demonstrate that when compared to unmodified biomaterials, biomaterials treated with PRP dramatically reduce inflammation, improve angiogenesis, and consequently expedite wound healing. The platelets and biomaterial in this integrated system can be applied topically, intravenously, or through an intracavitary route to interact with the site of bleeding and injured tissue directly. So far, alginate, dextran, collagen, hyaluronic acid, chitosan, gelatin, keratin, polycaprolactone (PCL), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) used with various forms of scaffold, including hydrogel, sponge, or composite, have all been applied thus far in a variety of natural and synthetic scaffold for PRP delivery. Most research findings indicated that wound healing might be accelerated, and wound size could be considerably decreased without adverse consequences.
Conclusion: In conclusion, PRP is a safe and affordable treatment for skin wounds that can be enhanced through the use of a carrier to increase its capacity to repair and regenerate tissues. Additionally, by using a controlled release technique to increase growth factor availability, patients can experience a shorter recovery time and an overall higher quality of life.