Ribeiro, JorgePereira, TiagoAmorim, IrinaCaseiro, Ana RitaLopes, Maria A.Lima, JoanaGartner, AndreaDomingos Santos, José DomingosBártolo, Paulo J.Rodrigues, Jorge ManuelMauricio, Ana ColetteLuís, Ana Lúcia2026-06-232026-06-232014-07-11Ribeiro, J., Pereira, T., Amorim, I., Caseiro, A.R., Lopes, M.A., Lima, J., Gartner, A., Santos, J.D., Bártolo, P.J., Rodrigues, J.M., Mauricio, A.C., Luís, A.L. (2014). Cell Therapy with Human MSCs Isolated from the Umbilical Cord Wharton Jelly Associated to a PVA Membrane in the Treatment of Chronic Skin Wounds. International Journal of Medical Sciences, 11(10), 979-987. https://doi.org/10.7150/ijms.91391449-1907http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/16447The healing process of the skin is a dynamic procedure mediated through a complex feedback of growth factors secreted by a variety of cells types. Despite the most recent advances in wound healing management and surgical procedures, these techniques still fail up to 50%, so cellular therapies involving mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are nowadays a promising treatment of skin ulcers which are a cause of high morbidity. The MSCs modulate the inflammatory local response and induce cell replacing, by a paracrine mode of action, being an important cell therapy for the impaired wound healing. The local application of human MSCs (hMSCs) isolated from the umbilical cord Wharton's jelly together with a poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel (PVA) membrane, was tested to promote wound healing in two dogs that were referred for clinical examination at UPVET Hospital, showing non-healing large skin lesions by the standard treatments. The wounds were infiltrated with 1000 cells/µl hMSCs in a total volume of 100 µl per cm2 of lesion area. A PVA membrane was applied to completely cover the wound to prevent its dehydration. Both animals after the treatment demonstrated a significant progress in skin regeneration with decreased extent of ulcerated areas confirmed by histological analysis. The use of Wharton's jelly MSCs associated with a PVA membrane showed promising clinical results for future application in the treatment of chronic wounds in companion animals and humans.engChronic woundsMesenchymal stem cellsWharton’s jellyPVA hydrogelHistologyjournal article10.7150/ijms.9139