Adipose stem cells combined with honey accelerated burn wound healing in a rat burn wound model

Enhanced resistance to oxidative stress makes the adipose stem cells (ASCs) able to promote wound repair and regeneration. Such cells can be achieved by addition of an anti-oxidant to the cell culture medium. In this study, a combination of Honey (H) and ASCs was applied on burn wounds and the injured area was then covered by a Tegaderm (T) dressing in a rat model. The results compared with H, T, and T-H treated groups. Wound healing was evaluated by histopathological, histomorphometrical, molecular, and biochemical assessments on days 7, 14, and 28 post-wounding. ASC-containing honey (T-H/ASC) resulted in substantial reduction in the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in the wound bed, at 7 day post surgery. H/ASCs also elevated the level of bFGF expression, indicating that ASCs enhanced angiogenesis at 7 day post-wounding. T-H/ASCs significantly improved angiogenesis, re-epithelialization, and granulation tissue formation compared to other treatment regimes, at 14 day post-surgery. These outcomes were in exceptionally good agreement with the histology and biochemical findings. Increased bFGF level in the T-H/ASCs treated wounds at the 28th day post-surgery showed the anti-scarring activity of ASCs. Therefore, honey can be considered as a protective material in maintaining the viability of ASCs and improving the cellular resistance to oxidative stress. Furthermore, combination of ASCs and honey can provide a nutrient media for the ASCs and enhance the ability of regeneration of the ASC-based therapies.