Lipid mediator profiles of burn wound healing: Acellular cod fish skin grafts promote the formation of EPA and DHA derived lipid mediators following seven days of treatment

Introduction: The use of acellular fish skin grafts (FSG) for the treatment of burn wounds is becoming more common due to its beneficial wound healing properties. In our previous study, we demonstrated that FSG is a scaffold biomaterial that is rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) conjugated to phosphatidylcholines. Here we investigated whether EPA and DHA-derived lipid mediators are influenced during the healing of burn wounds treated with FSG.

Methods: Deep partial and full-thickness burn wounds (DPT and FT, respectively) were created on Yorkshire pigs (n = 4). DPT were treated with either FSG or fetal bovine dermis while FT were treated either with FSG or cadaver skin initially and followed by a split thickness skin graft. Punch biopsies were collected on days 7, 14, 21, 28, and 60 and analyzed in respect of changes to approximately 45 derivatives of EPA, DHA, arachidonic acid (AA), and linoleic acid (LA) employing UPLC-MS/MS methodology.

Results: Nine EPA and DHA lipid mediators, principally mono-hydroxylated derivatives such as 18-HEPE and 17-HDHA, were significantly higher on day 7 in the DPT when treated with FSG. A similar but non-significant trend was observed for the FT.

Discussion: The results suggest that the use of FSG in burn wound treatment can alter the formation of EPA and DHA mono hydroxylated lipid mediators in comparison to other grafts of mammalian origin. The differences observed during the first seven days after treatment indicate that FSG affects the early stages of wound healing.