School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 76 Yanta Westroad, Xi'an, China.
The first affiliated hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
Biomater Sci. 2022 Oct 11;10(20):6024-6036. doi: 10.1039/d2bm00935h.
Non-functional scars commonly form after cutaneous injuries. At present, most clinical treatments for scar eradication typically have long treatment courses, low curative effects, and are expensive. In this research, three hydrogels, namely chitin hydrogel, β-glucan hydrogel, and hybrid hydrogel composed of chitin and β-glucan, were successfully prepared, and they exhibited good shear thinning property and bioadhesiveness. In a full-thickness skin defect mouse model, the three hydrogels were found to effectively promote wound closure and inhibit scar formation. Through the immunohistochemistry staining and immunofluorescence staining of the wound tissues, the hydrogels could significantly promote the formation of collagen III, the regeneration of hair follicles, and the expression of keratin K14 and K15. They could also regulate the production of VEGF and immune factors such as IL-10 and IL-12, and inhibit the expression of the fibroblast regulatory factor En-1 in the wound site, which correlated well with their improved wound healing promoting effect and anti-scarring effect. Among all the hydrogels, the hybrid hydrogel was the best to promote wound healing and inhibit scarring. This study, for the first time, proved the excellent therapeutic effect of chitin and β-glucan hydrogels in the management of wound healing and skin regeneration without scar formation, which will lay a solid foundation for the development of skin regeneration medication and future clinical transformation.
非功能性瘢痕通常在皮肤损伤后形成。目前，大多数消除瘢痕的临床治疗方法通常治疗周期长、疗效低且费用昂贵。在这项研究中，成功制备了三种水凝胶，即壳聚糖水凝胶、β-葡聚糖水凝胶和壳聚糖与β-葡聚糖组成的混合水凝胶，它们均表现出良好的剪切稀化特性和生物黏附性。在全层皮肤缺损小鼠模型中，三种水凝胶均能有效促进伤口闭合和抑制瘢痕形成。通过对伤口组织进行免疫组织化学染色和免疫荧光染色，水凝胶能显著促进胶原 III 的形成、毛囊再生以及角蛋白 K14 和 K15 的表达，还能调节 VEGF 和免疫因子（如 IL-10 和 IL-12）的产生，并抑制伤口部位成纤维细胞调节因子 En-1 的表达，这与它们改善伤口愈合促进作用和抗瘢痕形成作用相一致。在所有水凝胶中，混合水凝胶在促进伤口愈合和抑制瘢痕形成方面效果最佳。本研究首次证明了壳聚糖和β-葡聚糖水凝胶在无瘢痕皮肤再生管理方面的优异治疗效果，为皮肤再生药物的开发和未来的临床转化奠定了坚实的基础。
