Acceleration of Wound Healing by Gelatin Film Dressings with Epidermal Growth Factor

We examined in vivo efficiency of a gelatin film sheet with epidermal growth factor (EGF) for a novel therapeutic device for cutaneous wound repair. NIH3T3 fibroblasts and PAM212 keratinocytes proliferated when the cells were incubated with the homogenate of EGF containing gelatin sheets, indicating that the gelatin sheet retained biologic activity of EGF in the process of sheet formation. To evaluate therapeutic effects, the EGF containing gelatin sheets or control sheets were applied onto partial-thickness skin wounds made on dorsa of hairless dogs. Wound closure in wounds treated with EGF containing gelatin sheets was accelerated when compared to that of wounds treated with control sheets, exhibiting earlier reepithelialization of the epidermis and highly regulated repair of extracellular matrix in the dermis. Therefore, we concluded that the gelatin film is a useful material to keep EGF stable and the EGF containing sheet has the ability to become an efficient therapeutic agent for superficial or deep partial-thickness wounds in the skin.