Key components

Biology: Key components and their roles in injured tissue healing

There are three key components of human placental tissue that can support the healing process:

The ECM

  • Provides structural support and acts as a growth factor reservoir
  • Aids re-epithelialization of injured tissues by facilitating epithelial cell migration and producing growth factors that stimulate cell proliferation, enabling host cells to fill in the tissue deficit. It also provides a covering to keep the tissue moist, act as a barrier to pathogens and aid healing

Growth factors and mediators

  • Involved in stimulating growth and repair
  • Support migration, proliferation and differentiation of fibroblasts, endothelial cells and epithelial cells, which are involved in the formation of granulation tissue and new blood vessels to re-epithelialize injury site

Living cells

  • Produce ECM, growth factors and mediators
  • Aid re-epithelialization by forming granulation tissue, producing growth factors to stimulate cell proliferation and producing antimicrobial peptides to prevent infection
  • MSCs have been shown to help accelerate healing. Mechanisms proposed to explain this include their ability to differentiate into tissue-specific cells types; promote angiogenesis; secrete ECM allowing remodeling; recruit stem cells into the wound site; decrease inflammation; and secrete exomes that may accelerate healing. These processes can promote re-epithelialization, angiogenesis and granulation tissue formation

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Inherent properties

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Preservation

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