The effect of chitin and chitosan on the proliferation of human skin fibroblasts and keratinocytes in vitro

• Published in: Biomaterials Vol. 22; no. 22; pp. 2959 - 2966
• Main Authors: Howling, Graeme I, Dettmar, Peter W, Goddard, Paul A, Hampson, Frank C, Dornish, Michael, Wood, Edward J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2001; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Biocompatible Materials - chemistry; Biocompatible Materials - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Division - drug effects; Cells, Cultured; Chitin; Chitin - analogs & derivatives; Chitin - chemistry; Chitin - pharmacology; Chitosan; Culture Media; Fibroblast; Fibroblasts - cytology; Fibroblasts - drug effects; Humans; Injuries of the skin. Diseases of the skin due to physical agents; Keratinocyte; Keratinocytes - cytology; Keratinocytes - drug effects; Materials Testing; Medical sciences; Skin; Skin - cytology; Skin - drug effects; Skin - injuries; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Wound healing; Wound Healing - drug effects; Keratinocyte; Chitin; Skin; Wound healing; Chitosan; Fibroblast; Human; Skin disease; Proliferation; Experimental study; In vitro; Wound; Deacetylation; Mitogen; Cicatrization; Biomedical engineering; Growth factor
• ISSN: 0142-9612; 1878-5905
• DOI: 10.1016/S0142-9612(01)00042-4

The effects of chitin [(1→4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy- β- d-glucan] and its partially deacetylated derivatives, chitosans, on the proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes were examined in vitro. Chitosans with relatively high degrees of deacetylation strongly stimulated fibroblast proliferation while samples with lower levels of deacetylation showed less activity. Fraction, CL313A, a shorter chain length, 89% deacetylated chitosan chloride was further evaluated using cultures of fibroblasts derived from a range of human donors. Some fibroblast cultures produced a positive mitogenic response to CL313A treatment with proliferation rates being increased by approximately 50% over the control level at an initial concentration of 50 μg/ml, whilst others showed no stimulation of proliferation or even a slight inhibition (<10%). The stimulatory effect on fibroblast proliferation required the presence of serum in the culture medium suggesting that the chitosan may be interacting with growth factors present in the serum and potentiating their effect. In contrast to the stimulatory effects on fibroblasts, fraction CL313A inhibited human keratinocyte mitogenesis with up to 40% inhibition of proliferation being observed at 50 μg/ml. In general highly deacetylated chitosans were more active than those with a lower degree of deacetylation. These data demonstrate that highly deacetylated chitosans can modulate human skin cell mitogenesis in vitro. Analysis of their effects on cells in culture may be useful as a screen for their potential activity in vivo as wound healing agents, although in the case of fibroblasts it is important to select appropriate strains of cells for use in the screen.