Development of Paper-based Point-of-care Diagnostic Method for Acute and Chronic Wound Growth Factors

抄録

Wound healing is a complicated process that involves various factors. Depending on the recovery time, the wound can be divided into acute wounds and chronic wounds. Unlike the conventional wound morphology assessment, we tried to assess the wound in a molecular aspect. Recent researches have indicated that growth factors play an important role in the wound healing process. Many cytokines like vascular epithelial growth factor (VEGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) have been reported to take part in angiogenesis or endothelial proliferation during the process of wound healing. Recent wound dressings development often combines growth factors, like platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), to enhance the healing process. Therefore, we tried to detect the amount of specific cytokines like VEGF or EGF at the wound sites in order to provide a clinical reference for further therapeutic strategies. For example, the amount of EGF in chronic wounds is expected to be relatively low, by sensing the increasing of EGF, doctors could decide to conduct surgical debridement or EGF treatment. In terms of the importance of growth factors in wound healing, we tried to develop a point-of-care method that can be applied in wound healing diagnostic. The method was based on paper material because it is rather cheap and easy to manufacture.

The acute wound usually heals as it proceeds the normal process of wound healing. We targeted the biomarkers of angiogenin and VEGF, which have been reported to participate in the angiogenesis process of acute wounds. These protein biomarkers can be detected through immunoassay, and we transferred the assay into paper-based assay like paper-based ELISA or lateral flow immunoassay test strip. We had tried to use these methods to assess the burn depth of secondary burn wound through the detection of angiogenin. On the other hand, chronic wounds like diabetes ulcer foot are also big issues throughout the world. However, the recent diagnostic method is hard for point-of-care applications. In our study, we tried to define the amount of EGF in chronic wounds, and moreover, to develop a point-of-care diagnostic method for chronic wound care. EGF contributes to the proliferation of keratinocytes and plays a significant role in cell migration and differentiation. Therefore, EGF biomarker is an important factor that can even be used as treatments for chronic wounds. We tested the EGF concentration in chronic wounds with ELISA in microplates and developed a paper-based ELISA detection method of EGF for point-of-care application. We wish that our paper-based diagnostic method could offer a convenient way for wound care management and to improve wound healing