@article {20005, title = {GG-based material with TGF-β to modulate fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition in scarring control}, journal = {TERM STEM 2019}, year = {2019}, month = {2019-11-06 00:00:00}, address = {Braga, Portugal}, abstract = {

In wound healing in adults, scar formation represents a failure that occurs during the restoration leading to tissue repair rather than regeneration. Understanding the mechanisms underlying scaring is increasingly important to develop specific therapeutics. A way to study this process is to focus on the fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition, since they seem to be the player in the disturbed adult skin healing. Considering this, the present study proposes an extracellular matrix (ECM)-like material linked to TGF-β1 and TGF-β3 as better 3D system to understand the influence of these growth factors in the fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition. Gellan gum (GG) was covalently or non-covalently modified following several approaches with the purpose of developing a GG-based hydrogel capable of binding TGF-β1 and TGF-β3, implicated in the fibrotic scarring response and the scarless healing process, respectively. Non-covalent binding resulted from the electrostatic interaction of the growth factors with the GG. GG was chemically modified with sodium periodate and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodimide (EDC), prior the TGF-β1 and TGF-β3 grafting. Modified-gellan gum-TGF-β1 formulations were analysed by Proton-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR) and by Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR). The amount of growth factor linked to GG was quantified by ELISA. The results confirmed a successful chemical binding of TGF-β1 and TGF-β3\ to GG. Non-covalent binding of growth factors to GG was also detected by ELISA although at a lower scale. Overall, the obtained results showed that the properties of the modified GG-based hydrogels using different approaches has potential to work as suitable TGF-β1 and TGF-β3 containing system. This system could be of use to further investigate the implication of these growth factors in the scar formation by modulating their ratio.

}, keywords = {fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transtition, Gellan Gum, scarring, TGF-β}, author = {Mandon, C. A. and Pires, J. C. and da Silva, L. P. and Reis, R. L. and Marques, A. P.} }