Inovação, evidências e aplicações clínicas da pele de tilápia (Oreochromis niloticus) na medicina veterinária: uma revisão de escopo

Abstract

Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) skin is an innovative biomaterial in regenerative medicine due to its high type I collagen content, biocompatibility, and low cost. This thesis presents a scoping review conducted to map and synthesize scientific evidence on the clinical use of tilapia skin and its derivatives in veterinary medicine. The methodology followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI)

recommendations, utilizing PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Twenty- nine studies published between 2015 and 2026 were included, encompassing original

articles, case reports, and grey literature. The results demonstrate that Brazil leads scientific production in the field (approximately 65.5% of the studies). The main applications identified focus on two primary axes: cutaneous wounds (of various etiologies) and ophthalmology. Applications occurred in several species, such as dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, and wild animals. The biomaterial was used in various processing forms, including in natura, glycerol-preserved, lyophilized, and acellular dermal matrices. The evidence suggests that the use of tilapia skin as a xenograft promotes accelerated re-epithelialization, pain reduction, protection against contamination, and a decreased frequency of dressing changes, resulting in improved patient comfort and cost reduction. It is concluded that although the use of tilapia skin has shown excellent results in various applications and species without reports of adverse effects, there is still methodological heterogeneity and a predominance of case reports and experimental studies with small sample sizes. This highlights the need for further research involving standardized clinical trials and more robust cohorts to consolidate protocols in veterinary medicine.