TGF-(BETA) Associated Peptide Promotes Remodeling of Healing Cutaneous Wounds in the Rat

Background: the process of wound healing involves integratedevents including inflammation, granulation tissue formation,matrix deposition and remodeling. growth factorsplaya key role in the process. among them transforminggrowth factor-131 (tgf-i3i) is known to accelerate tissue repairby promoting the synthesis and deposition of extracellular matrixproteins. however, persistence or overactivity of tgf-131during the remodeling phase can potentially lead to fibrosis.the primary objective of this study was, therefore, to determinethe effects of tgf-131 inactivation, by its latency associatedpeptide (lap), on the cutaneous healing wounds.methods: excisional wounds were generated on the back ofmale adult rats. wounds received tgf-131 or lap during thepost-inflammatory phase. expression of type i collagen and asmoothmuscle actin was evaluated by western blotting.wound maturation was further assessed by histology and immunohistochemicalmethods using specific antibody for proliferatingcell nuclear antigen (pena),results: wounds treated with tgf-131 showed a marked increasein the level of type i collagen, whereas no significantchanges were observed in the wounds treated with lap ascompared to that in control. expression of a-smooth muscleactin was markedly reduced in the wounds treated with lapbut was slightly increased in the wounds treated with tgf -131.both neodermis and newly-formed epidermis exhibited ahigher degree of maturation in the lap-treated wounds ascompared to tgf-131 treated wounds.conclusion: local administration of lap seems to be beneficialto tissue remodeling. it promotes wound maturation and,may prevent fibrosis and hypertrophic scarring.