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Improved viability of murine skin flaps using a gelatin hydrogel sheet impregnated with bFGF

  • Original Article
  • Tissue Engineering / Regenerative Medicine
  • Published:
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Abstract

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) promotes epithelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis but its clinical applications are limited by its short half-life and low retention. Recently developed gelatin hydrogel sheets able to release physiologically active substances in a controlled manner have the potential to overcome these issues. In this study, the effects of gelatin hydrogel sheets impregnated with bFGF on flap survival and angiogenesis were examined in a murine skin flap model. A flap of 1 × 3 cm was generated on the backs of 60 C57BL/6 mice. The mice were divided into five groups (n = 12/group): Group I, untreated; Group II, treated with a gelatin hydrogel sheet impregnated with saline; Group III, treated with bFGF (50 µg) without sheets; Groups IV and V, treated with gelatin hydrogel sheets impregnated with 50 and 100 µg of bFGF, respectively. On the seventh day after surgery, the flap survival area and vascular network were examined and hematoxylin and eosin and von Willebrand factor staining were used for histological examinations. The flap survival areas were significantly larger in Groups IV and V than in other groups. The area of new vessels was significantly larger in Group IV than in the other groups. In the murine skin flap model, gelatin hydrogel sheets impregnated with bFGF promoted angiogenesis and improved flap survival. These findings support the use of bFGF-impregnated gelatin hydrogel sheets for improving ischemic flap survival in clinical settings.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Kansai Medical University, 2-5-1, Shin-machi, Hirakata, Osaka, 573-1010, Japan

    Masakatsu Hihara, Natsuko Kakudo, Tomoya Hara, Fangyuan Lai & Kenji Kusumoto

  2. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Naoki Morimoto

  3. Department of Oral Implantology, Osaka Dental University, Hirakata, Osaka, Japan

    Tomoya Hara

  4. Laboratory of Biomaterials, Department of Regeneration Science and Engineering, Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Junichiro Jo & Yasuhiko Tabata

Authors
  1. Masakatsu Hihara
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  2. Natsuko Kakudo
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  3. Naoki Morimoto
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  4. Tomoya Hara
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  5. Fangyuan Lai
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  6. Junichiro Jo
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  7. Yasuhiko Tabata
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  8. Kenji Kusumoto
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Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: MH, NK, and KK. Performed the experiments: MH, NK, and FL. Analyzed data: NM and TH. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: JJ, and YT. Wrote the paper: MH, NK and KK.

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Correspondence to Masakatsu Hihara.

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Hihara, M., Kakudo, N., Morimoto, N. et al. Improved viability of murine skin flaps using a gelatin hydrogel sheet impregnated with bFGF. J Artif Organs 23, 348–357 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10047-020-01188-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10047-020-01188-7

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