Abstract
Bioengineered materials are widely utilized due to their biocompatibility and degradability, as well as their moisturizing and antibacterial properties. One field of their application in medicine is to treat wounds by promoting tissue regeneration and improving wound healing. In addition to creating a physical and chemical barrier against primary infection, the mechanical stability of the porous structure of biomaterials provides an extracellular matrix (ECM)-like niche for cells. Growth factors (GFs) and cytokines, which are secreted by the cells, are essential parts of the complex process of tissue regeneration and wound healing. There are several clinically approved GFs for topical administration and direct injections. However, the limited time of bioactivity at the wound site often requires repeated drug administration that increases cost and may cause adverse side effects. The tissue regeneration promoting factors incorporated into the materials have significantly enhanced wound healing in comparison to bolus drug treatment. Biomaterials protect the cargos from protease degradation and provide sustainable drug delivery for an extended period of time. This prolonged drug bioactivity lowered the dosage, eliminated the need for repeated administration, and decreased the potential of undesirable side effects. In the following mini-review, recent advances in the field of single and combinatorial delivery of GFs and cytokines for treating cutaneous wound healing will be discussed.
Highlights
Wound healing and tissue regeneration are complex cellular processes that involve an interplay of growth factors (GFs), chemokines, cytokines, and other signaling molecules (Castano et al, 2018; Rodrigues et al, 2018; Brazil et al, 2019)
Basic fibroblast GF (FGF) incorporated into a bioinspired hydrogel demonstrated a sustained release of GF over time, increased fibroblast proliferation in vitro, as well as enhanced wound closure in the scratch assay, and promoted wound healing in the full-thickness skin incision murine wound model (Zhang et al, 2018)
A number of studies demonstrated that clinically approved GFs affect the proliferation stage of wound healing by regulating tissue regenerating and immunomodulatory signaling pathways
Summary
Wound healing and tissue regeneration are complex cellular processes that involve an interplay of growth factors (GFs), chemokines, cytokines, and other signaling molecules (Castano et al, 2018; Rodrigues et al, 2018; Brazil et al, 2019). Basic FGF (bFGF) incorporated into a bioinspired hydrogel demonstrated a sustained release of GF over time, increased fibroblast proliferation in vitro, as well as enhanced wound closure in the scratch assay, and promoted wound healing in the full-thickness skin incision murine wound model (Zhang et al, 2018). This double layer system promoted the sustained release of the incorporated bFGF for a longer period of time, resulting in enhanced wound closure, organized collagen deposition, vascularization, granulation, myofibroblast formation, and reduced inflammation.
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