Synergistic effects of hyaluronate - epidermal growth factor conjugate patch on chronic wound healing

• Published in: Biomaterials science Vol. 6; no. 5; pp. 12 - 13
• Main Authors: Kim, Yun Seop, Sung, Dong Kyung, Kong, Won Ho, Kim, Hyemin, Hahn, Sei Kwang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 01.05.2018
• Subjects: Biological effects; Conjugates; Epidermal growth factor; Growth factors; Receptors; Skin; Stability; Sustained release; Wound healing
• ISSN: 2047-4830; 2047-4849
• DOI: 10.1039/c8bm00079d

The proteolytic microenvironment in the wound area reduces the stability and the half-life of growth factors in vivo , making difficult the topical delivery of growth factors. Here, epidermal growth factor (EGF) was conjugated to hyaluronate (HA) to improve the long-term stability against enzymatic degradation and the therapeutic effect by enhancing the biological interaction with HA receptors on skin cells. After the synthesis of HA-EGF conjugates, they were incorporated into a patch-type formulation for the facile topical application and sustained release of EGF. According to ELISA, the HA-EGF conjugates showed a long-term stability compared with native EGF. Furthermore, HA-EGF conjugates appeared to interact with skin cells through two types of HA and EGF receptors, resulting in a synergistically improved healing effect. Taken together, we could confirm the feasibility of HA-EGF conjugates for the transdermal treatment of chronic wounds. A HA-EGF conjugate patch was developed for the treatment of diabetic chronic wounds with advantages such as facilitating topical delivery and interaction with dual receptors, and alleviating the degradation of EGF.