Treatment of chronic wounds is challenging due to a variety of interconnected intrinsic (patient-related) and extrinsic (external/local) factors that disrupt the normal, orderly process of wound repair. Although human platelet lysate (hPL)-based treatment offers a cost-effective option for chronic wound diseases, the inherent limitations of hPL gel (hPLG), particularly its diminished structural integrity and limited retention of growth factors (GFs), hinder its utility for treating chronic wounds. Therefore, a novel cross-linked plasma-treated mesoporous silica nanoparticle/carboxymethyl chitosan composite (xPMC)-embedded hPLG hydrogel (xPMC/hPLG), designed to prolong fibrin integrity and enhance local retention of bioactive factors, was developed, characterized, and assessed for fibrin structural integrity and biological performance, including cellular chemotaxis and proliferation. Microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses demonstrated that xPMC possessed high porosity and interconnectivity, with evenly distributed fibrin within the pores of the composite hydrogel. Compared with hPLG alone, finer fibrin fibers with increased density were observed in xPMC/hPLG. The observed interpenetrating network structure of xPMC/hPLG was associated with the significantly reduced in vitro degradation of the composite hydrogel. Moreover, it exhibited controlled local release of the total protein and key growth factors, i.e., platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Importantly, xPMC/hPLG more effectively enhanced the recruitment and proliferation of periodontal fibroblasts than hPLG. This superior induction of fibroblast recruitment was at least partly mediated by PDGF-BB. In conclusion, the developed xPMC/hPLG composite hydrogel demonstrated prolonged structural integrity, extended release of bioactive GFs, and enhanced cell migration and proliferation. Future in vivo studies will further validate this composite hydrogel for enhancing the success of chronic wound treatment.
Lertwimol et al. (Mon,) studied this question.