Thermal burn injuries remain a major global health challenge, frequently resulting in extensive tissue loss, prolonged recovery, and long-term disability. Advances in regenerative medicine have introduced diverse cell-based therapies to enhance wound healing and functional restoration. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of cell-based therapies in patients with thermal burn injuries. We performed a systematic literature search of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library up to July 2025. The primary outcome measures were complete epithelialization and wound healing time. Interventions encompassed cultured keratinocytes, mesenchymal stem cells, and autologous skin cell suspensions. Data extraction and synthesis were conducted using Review Manager version 5.4.1 in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A total of seven trials including 879 patients were analyzed. Cell-based therapies increased the likelihood of complete epithelialization by 33% (risk ratio RR 1.33, 95% confidence interval CI, 1.10-1.61; p = 0.003) and reduced mean healing time by 3.6 days (mean difference −3.57, 95% CI, −5.45 to −1.68; p < 0.001). These findings suggest that cell-based interventions not only accelerate wound closure but may also mitigate complications associated with delayed healing. To our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis of human clinical trials evaluating cell-based therapies for burn management. The evidence indicates improvements in epithelialization and healing time, supporting their role as a promising adjunct to current burn care. Further large-scale randomized controlled trials are warranted to refine treatment protocols, to determine optimal cell sources, and to evaluate long-term functional and aesthetic outcomes.
Sanjiwani et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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