Cutaneous Wound Generation in Diabetic NOD/SCID Mice and the Use of Nanofiber-Expanded Hematopoietic Stem Cell Therapy.

ABSTRACT

Despite significant advances in diabetic wound management, diabetic wounds remain a significant global problem that decreases patient's quality of life, and chronic wounds may lead to amputation and death to the patients. To develop a potential regenerative therapy, a xenogeneic transplantation compatible laboratory model needs to be developed. This procedure demonstrates how to isolate hematopoietic stem cells (CD133+) from human umbilical cord blood, expand CD34+ stem cells using a nanofiber scaffold (polyether sulfone-coated and amino group-treated), induce diabetes in immunocompromised (NOD/SCID) mice, induce a cutaneous wound in mice, and how to treat the wound with the nanofiber-expanded CD34+ stem cells. This protocol also shows how to measure wound healing.