Comparison of Type I and Type III Collagen Concentration between <i>Oreochromis mossambicus</i> and <i>Oreochromis niloticus</i> in Relation to Skin Scaffolding
Bogdan Ciornei,
Adrian Vaduva,
Vlad Laurentiu David,
Diana Popescu,
Dan Dumitru Vulcanescu,
Ovidiu Adam,
Cecilia Roberta Avram,
Alina Cornelia Pacurari,
Eugen Sorin Boia
Affiliations
Bogdan Ciornei
Department of Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300002 Timisoara, Romania
Adrian Vaduva
Department of Pathology, Methodological Research Center ANAPATMOL, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300002 Timisoara, Romania
Vlad Laurentiu David
Department of Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300002 Timisoara, Romania
Diana Popescu
Department of Pediatric Surgery, “Louis Turcanu” Emergency Children’s Hospital, 300011 Timisoara, Romania
Dan Dumitru Vulcanescu
Multidisciplinary Research Center on Antimicrobial Resistance (Multi-Rez), “Victor Babes“ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300002 Timisoara, Romania
Ovidiu Adam
Department of Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300002 Timisoara, Romania
Cecilia Roberta Avram
Department of Residential Training and Post-University Courses, “Vasile Goldis” Western University, 300002 Arad, Romania
Alina Cornelia Pacurari
Department of Internal Medicine, Medlife Hyperclinic, 300551 Timisoara, Romania
Eugen Sorin Boia
Department of Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300002 Timisoara, Romania
Background and Objectives: Skin scaffolding can be done using allografts and autografts. As a biological allograft, the skin of Oreochromis niloticus (ON) has been used due to its high type I and III collagen content. Oreochromis mossambicus (OM) is also a member of the Oreochromis family, but not much is known regarding its collagen content. As such, this study aimed to assess and compare the collagen content of the two fish species. Materials and Methods: This is a crossover study comparing the skin collagen contents of the two fish. Young fish were chosen, as they tend to have higher collagen concentrations. The skin samples were sterilized in chlorhexidine and increasing glycerol solutions and analyzed histochemically with Sirius red picrate under polarized light microscopy. Results: 6 young ON and 4 OM specimens were used. Baseline type I collagen was higher for OM, but at maximum sterilization it was higher for ON, with no differences in between Type III collagen was higher for OM across all comparisons with the exception of the last stage of sterilization. Generally, collagen concentrations were higher in highly sterilized samples. Conclusions: OM skin harvested from young fish, with its greater collagen III content may be a better candidate for use as a biological skin scaffold in the treatment of burn wounds, compared to ON.
