Department of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery, University Hospital rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Germany; Biotechnology Research Center, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago, Costa Rica.
Biotechnology Research Center, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago, Costa Rica; Molekulare Pflanzenwissenschaften, Biozentrum Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
Acta Biomater. 2018 Nov;81:184-194. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2018.09.060. Epub 2018 Oct 1.
Surgical sutures represent the gold standard for wound closure, however, their main purpose is still limited to a mechanical function rather than playing a bioactive role. Since oxygen and pro-regenerative growth factors have been broadly described as key players for the healing process, in this study we evaluated the feasibility of generating photosynthetic sutures that, in addition to mechanical fixation, could locally and stably release oxygen and recombinant human growth factors (VEGF, PDGF-BB, or SDF-1α) at the wound site. Here, photosynthetic genetically modified microalgae were seeded in commercially available sutures and their distribution and proliferation capacity was evaluated. Additionally, the mechanical properties of seeded sutures were compared to unseeded controls that showed no significant differences. Oxygen production, as well as recombinant growth factor release was quantified in vitro over time, and confirmed that photosynthetic sutures are indeed a feasible approach for the local delivery of bioactive molecules. Finally, photosynthetic sutures were tested in order to evaluate their resistance to mechanical stress and freezing. Significant stability was observed in both conditions, and the feasibility of their use in the clinical practice was therefore confirmed. Our results suggest that photosynthetic gene therapy could be used to produce a new generation of bioactive sutures with improved healing capacities. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Disruption of the vascular network is intrinsic to trauma and surgery, and consequently, wound healing is characterized by diminished levels of blood perfusion. Among all the blood components, oxygen and pro-regenerative growth factors have been broadly described as key players for the healing process. Therefore, in this study we evaluated the feasibility of generating photosynthetic sutures that, in addition to mechanical fixation, could locally and stably release oxygen and recombinant human growth factors at the wound site. This novel concept has never been explored before for this type of material and represents the first attempt to create a new generation of bioactive sutures with improved regenerative capabilities.
手术缝线是伤口闭合的金标准，但它们的主要目的仍然仅限于机械功能，而不是发挥生物活性作用。由于氧和促再生生长因子已被广泛描述为愈合过程的关键因素，在这项研究中，我们评估了生成光合缝线的可行性，这些缝线除了机械固定外，还可以在伤口部位局部且稳定地释放氧气和重组人生长因子（VEGF、PDGF-BB 或 SDF-1α）。在这里，光合基因修饰的微藻被播种在市售缝线中，并评估了它们的分布和增殖能力。此外，与未播种对照相比，播种缝线的机械性能没有显著差异。在体外随着时间的推移，定量测量了氧气的产生以及重组生长因子的释放，证实了光合缝线确实是局部递送电活性分子的可行方法。最后，测试了光合缝线以评估其对机械应力和冷冻的抵抗力。在这两种情况下都观察到了显著的稳定性，因此确认了它们在临床实践中的可行性。我们的研究结果表明，光合基因治疗可以用于生产具有改善愈合能力的新一代生物活性缝线。
