Effectiveness of quality and quantity mononuclear cells for enhancing wound healing in diabetic ischemic limb animal model

Abstract

This study set forth to investigate the efficacy of Quality and Quantity mononuclear cells (QQMNCs) for promoting wound healing and limb salvage in a severe ischemic wound model using diabetic mice. Female BALB/c nude mice induced with diabetes were used to create ischemic limb models in a controlled experimental design. Intramuscular injections of human QQMNCs were compared to phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) relative to their effects on wound healing and limb salvage. In vitro analysis demonstrated that the QQMNC group had significantly higher median percentages of CD34+ cells, CD34+CD133+ cells, CD206+ cells, and FOXP3+ cells compared to the PBMNC group (all p < 0.05), which suggests an enhanced regenerative and immunomodulatory profile. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed a significantly higher number of completely healed wounds in the QQMNC group than in the PBMNC group (p = 0.044). The histological evaluation showed that the QQMNC group had a significantly thinner epithelial thickness than the PBMNC (p = 0.032) and PBS groups (p = 0.002), and a significantly greater T cell density than the PBS group (p = 0.033), which suggests more efficient tissue repair. Moreover, the QQMNC group exhibited the highest percentage of minor tissue loss (57% for forefoot and toe gangrene), and the lowest incidence of severe limb loss (0% for lower leg gangrene). The findings of this study highlight the effectiveness of QQMNCs for promoting wound healing and limb salvage in diabetic ischemic animal model; however, clinical trials are needed to further assess their efficacy in this clinical context.