Review highlights PDGF-BB's effectiveness in tissue repair from human clinical studies, suggesting broader applications in regenerative medicine.
Pure recombinant platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) enhances healing in multiple tissues and is the most thoroughly studied growth factor in medicine. Beyond the thousands of non-clinical studies that define its mechanism of action in tissue repair, over 140 published human clinical studies examined the safety and effectiveness of PDGF-BB therapeutics. Manufactured pure PDGF-BB mimics the biological activity of the endogenous protein and is the active ingredient in four FDA-approved products used for the regeneration of skin, bone, mucosa and gingiva, a diverse array of tissues important to reconstructive surgeons. The recent introduction of an FDA-registered product for use in medical aesthetics demonstrates interest in using this beneficial growth factor more broadly for skin rejuvenation and scar reduction. Here, we review the history of clinical development of recombinant pure PDGF-BB, summarize the evidence from over thirty years of translational research on the applications of PDGF-BB, and propose areas of unmet needs where pure PDGF-BB could potentially enhance patient outcomes. For this review, a literature search was conducted searching PubMed, Web of Science, Google, and clinicaltrials.gov. Evidence-based data from Phase I, II, III and IV FDA trials including over 15,000 patients was extracted from systematic reviews and additional primary studies not referenced in systematic reviews. This summary of evidence supports the safety and efficacy of pure PDGF-BB therapeutics in wound healing and tissue repair, can help guide healthcare providers on the beneficial use of PDGF-BB applications, and provides a framework for future studies to further investigate PDGF-BB in regenerative medicine.
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Younan et al. (2025) studied this question.
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