Abstract
Wound healing is a complex process that requires specific interactions between multiple cells such as fibroblasts, mesenchymal, endothelial, and neural stem cells. Recent studies have shown that calcium silicate (CS)-based biomaterials can enhance the secretion of growth factors from fibroblasts, which further increased wound healing and skin regeneration. In addition, gelatin methacrylate (GelMa) is a compatible biomaterial that is commonly used in tissue engineering. However, it has low mechanical properties, thus restricting its fullest potential for clinical applications. In this study, we infused Si ions into GelMa hydrogel and assessed for its feasibility for skin regeneration applications by observing for its influences on human dermal fibroblasts (hDF). Initial studies showed that Si could be successfully incorporated into GelMa, and printability was not affected. The degradability of Si-GelMa was approximately 20% slower than GelMa hydrogels, thus allowing for better wound healing and regeneration. Furthermore, Si-GelMa enhanced cellular adhesion and proliferation, therefore leading to the increased secretion of collagen I other important extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling-related proteins including Ki67, MMP9, and decorin. This study showed that the Si-GelMa hydrogels were able to enhance the activity of hDF due to the gradual release of Si ions, thus making it a potential candidate for future skin regeneration clinical applications.
Highlights
The human skin is responsible for maintaining homeostasis and has a huge role to play in regulation wound healing and regeneration
Fibroblasts are known to be a critical component of wound healing because they are involved in secreting proteins such as proteoglycan and fibronectin that are required for building extracellular matrix of tissues
calcium silicate (CS)-based materials had been proved to be able to stimulate the angiogenesis of endothelial cells by inducing the secretion of angiogenicrelated growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) from fibroblasts [23,24]
Summary
The human skin is responsible for maintaining homeostasis and has a huge role to play in regulation wound healing and regeneration. Bioglass (BG) and calcium silicate (CS) materials are inorganic biomaterials that have been shown to enhance vascularization and tissue regeneration through the release of silicon (Si) ions [20,21,22]. CS-based materials had been proved to be able to stimulate the angiogenesis of endothelial cells by inducing the secretion of angiogenicrelated growth factors such as VEGF and bFGF from fibroblasts [23,24]. This is due in part to the sustained release of Si and Ca ions into its surrounding fluids after coming into contact with body fluids [22]. It was found that a GelMa hydrogel containing Si ions has potential as an alternative to current wound-healing strategies
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