Efficacy and Safety of an Autologous Micrografting Procedure for Management of Striae Distensae in Women

INTRODUCTION

Striae distensae (SD), or stretch marks, are a common skin problem having a psychological impact and cosmetic concern, especially for women, in whom the prevalence is higher than in men. This study assessed the efficacy and safety of a single autologous micrografting treatment (AMT®) using Rigenera® technology for the management of SD.

METHODS

This single-centre study included 10 healthy women between 24 and 65 years of age, with Fitzpatrick-Goldman skin types I-IV, who had visible SD in glutes/thighs. Each subject acted as their own control. The treatment procedure (microneedling + AMT) and the control procedure (no treatment) were performed on contralateral sides of the glutes/thighs, targeting matched and paired SD. Microneedling was carried out using Dermapen®, equipped with 32 needle heads set at 1.5 mm needle length. The AMT procedure involved extracting biopsies from the mastoid hair zone with a 2.5-mm dermal punch, followed by disaggregation of the biopsies in a physiological saline solution using the Rigeneracons. The disaggregated micrografts were then intradermally injected using 30G 4-mm needles, maintaining a distance of 1 cm between injection points, covering the entire marked treatment region.

RESULTS

In the treated area, at 3 months post-procedure compared to pre-procedure, the following changes were observed, all with statistical significance (P ≤ 0.05): (a) significant reductions in skin roughness (Ra, - 15.9%; Rz, - 22.6%), skin luminance (- 2.0%), and blue-green color distribution (- 10.6%); (b) significant increases in skin microcirculation maximum value (+ 240.1%), skin hydration (+ 71.2%), skin elasticity (+ 216.5%), skin density (+ 34.3%), skin thickness (+ 26.0%), and hypodermis thickness (+ 29.9%). Furthermore, for each of the aforementioned parameters, there was a significantly greater improvement observed with the AMT procedure compared with microneedling at 3 months (all P ≤ 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The AMT procedure using Rigenera technology resulted in an noticeable improvement in the SD appearance after 3 months in healthy women.

Micrografting chronic lower extremity ulcers with mechanically disaggregated skin using a micrograft preparation system

OBJECTIVE

The Rigenera system is a new standardised micrograft preparation system. It works by means of automated mechanical disaggregation of small tissue samples, extracting only the smallest cells (<50µm). The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate patients affected by chronic ulcers and who were treated with the micrograft preparation method.

METHOD

Chronic ulcers have been included regardless of the cause. The specimen was collected with a 3mm diameter biopsy punch and immediately dissociated by means of the Rigenera System. The obtained suspension was placed on a scaffold of equine collagen.

RESULTS

We included 15 patients (four males, 11 females) with a mean age of 72.2±8.41 (mean±standard deviation) years. In seven patients the ulcers were related to the complications of diabetes, post-traumatic in a further three diabetic patients, vasculitis in one patient, and four patients had venous leg ulcers (VLUs). The median main diameter was 5.0cm and the median estimated area was 43.96cm². The ulcers were present from a mean of 4.50±2.30 months before inclusion in this study. At the second week the wounds were reduced by 37.33%±19.35%, at the week eight, nine patients (60.0%) were healed, and at week 16, 13 (86.7%) were healed. The quality of scars was good and did not deteriorate at the six month follow-up.

CONCLUSION

The simplicity of the approach, the minimal invasiveness of the specimen collection, and the good quality of scarring of healed wounds, confirmed in the follow-up, makes this micrograft preparation method a useful tool to use on large or complex wounds.

Rationale and pre-clinical evidences for the use of autologous cartilage micrografts in cartilage repair

BACKGROUND

The management of cartilage lesions is an open issue in clinical practice, and regenerative medicine represents a promising approach, including the use of autologous micrografts whose efficacy was already tested in different clinical settings. The aim of this study was to characterize in vitro the effect of autologous cartilage micrografts on chondrocyte viability and differentiation and perform an evaluation of their application in racehorses affected by joint diseases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Matched human chondrocytes and micrografts were obtained from articular cartilage using Rigenera® procedure. Chondrocytes were cultured in the presence or absence of micrografts and chondrogenic medium to assess cell viability and cell differentiation. For the pre-clinical evaluation, three racehorses affected by joint diseases were treated with a suspension of autologous micrografts and PRP in arthroscopy interventions. Clinical and radiographic follow-ups were performed up to 4 months after the procedure.

RESULTS

Autologous micrografts support the formation of chondrogenic micromasses thanks to their content of matrix and growth factors, such as transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). On the other hand, no significant differences were observed on the gene expression of type II collagen, aggrecan, and SOX9. Preliminary data in the treatment of racehorses are suggestive of a potential in vivo use of micrografts to treat cartilage lesions.

CONCLUSION

The results reported in this study showed the role of articular micrografts in the promoting chondrocyte differentiation suggesting their potential use in the clinical practice to treat articular lesions.