Abstract
Regenerative medicine is an attractive option for skin wound healing. Products derived from collagen matrix, a major scaffolding material, are widely used in clinical applications. The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) is used widely in wound healing alone as well as in combination with collagen matrix products. For improved healing efficacy, we previously developed a novel nanofiber composed of polyglycolic acid (PGA) and collagen. This study compared the wound healing ability of three commercially available scaffolds (Terudermis®, Pelnac®, and Integr®) and the PGA/collagen scaffold when used alone and in combination with FGF. The FGF solution was prepared by dissolving Fibrast® powder in normal saline. The scaffold materials were impregnated with 100 μL of FGF solution (100 μg/ml) to prepare FGF-impregnated scaffolds. The scaffolds with or without FGF were evaluated in 9-week-old male db/db mice with bilateral full-thickness wounds (diameter, 6 mm) on the dorsal skin. The FGF-impregnated scaffolds were applied to the defects on the left side, and the saline-impregnated scaffolds were applied to the defects on the right side. The wounds including the surrounding margin of normal skin and the underlying muscle layer were removed from the euthanized animals on postoperative day 5 (n = 6 per group). The wound healing ability of the scaffolds was assessed by vessel density as an indicator of angiogenesis. The angiogenic effect of the FGF-impregnated scaffold was compared to that of the saline-impregnated scaffold for each scaffold type. In addition, the angiogenic effect of the FGF-impregnated versions of the four scaffold types were compared. The vessel density in wounds with the FGF-impregnated PGA/collagen scaffold was significantly higher than that in wounds with saline-impregnated PGA/collagen. Furthermore, the FGF-impregnated PGA/scaffold attained a higher vessel density than the FGFimpregnated Terudermis® and the FGF-impregnated Pelnac® scaffolds. The PGA/collagen scaffold exhibited good affinity for FGF. Additionally, the addition of FGF to the PGA/collagen scaffold significantly increased the vessel density, which was not observed with the other three commercially available scaffolds impregnated with FGF. These results illustrate the promising efficacy of the composite PGA/collagen nanofiber scaffold in advanced wound management as well as regenerative medicine.
