Fish Acellular Dermal Matrix Promotes Repair of Full-Thickness Skin Defects in Mice and Bama Pigs
Summary: A new study in Wound Repair and Regeneration (Sept 2025) led by Zi-Yi Wang, Zi-Hao Lin, Ruo-Tao Liu, Zhe Liu, Hao Peng, Zhi-Chao Hu, Wei-Qing Fu, Li-Ming Jin, Chang-Qing Zhang, Qian Tang, Zhen-Zhong Zhu, and Xiao-Juan Wei reports that tilapia-derived acellular dermal matrix (FADM) accelerates wound repair and enhances tissue regeneration in both mouse and pig models of full-thickness skin defects. Compared to porcine-derived acellular dermal matrices, FADM demonstrated superior healing, reduced immunogenicity, and enriched vascularization and collagen deposition.
Key Highlights:
- Histological and immunological assays confirmed that the tilapia-derived scaffold retained extracellular matrix structure, preserved bioactive factors, and exhibited very low immunogenicity.
- In vitro: The FADM promoted fibroblast and endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation, supporting angiogenesis and wound closure.
- In vivo: In Balb/c mice and Bama pig full-thickness wound models, FADM accelerated closure rates and produced regenerated tissue with improved collagen alignment and vascular density compared to porcine controls.
- Transcriptomic profiling revealed regulation of key pathways in immune modulation, ECM remodeling, and angiogenesis, highlighting the multifaceted biological interactions between scaffold and host tissue.
- Tilapia, widely farmed and cost-effective, offers practical advantages over cod-derived ADM, supporting its potential as a safe, economical, and scalable bioscaffold for clinical skin repair.
Read the full article in Wound Repair and Regeneration
Keywords:
fish acellular dermal matrix (FADM),
tilapia skin,
full-thickness skin defect,
angiogenesis,
Zi-Yi Wang,
Zi-Hao Lin,
Ruo-Tao Liu,
Zhe Liu,
Hao Peng,
Zhi-Chao Hu,
Wei-Qing Fu,
Li-Ming Jin,
Chang-Qing Zhang,
Qian Tang,
Zhen-Zhong Zhu,
Xiao-Juan Wei