Low Dose Treatment of RhTGF-beta1 Restore the Wound Healing Defect in Dexamethasone-treated Rats / 체질인류학회지

ABSTRACT

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) has chemotactic effect to monocytes, macrophages and fibroblasts, and it stimulates those cells to produce growth factors and collagen fibers. Therefore, TGF-beta1 plays important roles in the wound healing process. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of recombinant human TGF-beta1 (rhTGF-beta1) on the wound healing defect in dexamethasone-treated rats. Dexamethasone (0.1 mg/kg/day) was subcutaneously injected into the eight-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats. At the third day of dexamethasone administration, full thickness wounds were made on the back of the rat. And then, rhTGF-beta1 (50 ng/wound) was intradermally injected in the vicinity of the wounds. The wounds of the normal and the negative control groups were provided with vehicle only. At 1, 3, 5, 7 and 15 days after the surgery, the wound sizes were measured and the wound tissues were obtained and analyzed. The mean wound sizes of the rhTGF-beta1 injected groups were significantly smaller than those of the negative control groups. Moreover, the histologic findings such as cellular infiltration, re-epithelialization and granulation formation and expression patterns of TGF-betas during the wound healing process were improved by administration of rhTGF-beta1. These results support that rhTGF-beta1 can restore wound healing defect due to dexamethasone administration.