Two peptides related to platelet-derived growth factor are present in human wound fluid.

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) has been suggested to play an important role in wound healing. In this study wound fluid collected from patients after radical mastectomy was analyzed for PDGF-related factors. Analysis revealed the presence of two PDGF-related peptides of 16-17 kDa and 34-36 kDa. These PDGF-related peptides were purified by using anti-PDGF immunoaffinity techniques and found to possess both chemotactic and mitogenic activities for NIH 3T3 cells in vitro. Surprisingly, we could not detect authentic native PDGF (30 kDa) or PDGF A or B chain in any of the wound-fluid samples examined. These results indicate that PDGF-related peptides are present in normal human wound fluid, whereas PDGF A- and B-chain peptides are absent or only present in trace amounts relative to the total PDGF-related biological activity.