Wound healing growth factors

Microencapsulated cells are potentially useful in other situations such as the treatment of Parkinson s disease (dopamine delivery), liver failure (hepatocytes), wound healing (growth factor delivery) and immune modulation/tumor therapy (interleukin 2 delivery). Other neurological applications under consideration include chronic pain relief (30) and Huntington s and Alzheimer s diseases (31). Such technology may also play a similar role in gene therapy to allow the use of genetically corrected/modified cells. 

Dabin, I. and Courtois, Y., 1991, Acidic fibroblast growth factor overexpression in corneal epithelial wound healing, Growth Factors, 5 129. 

Meyer-Ingold, W. (1993). Wound therapy growth factors as agents to promote healing. Trends Biotechnol. 11, 387-392. Mustoe, T. et al. (1987). Accelerated healing of incisional wounds in rats induced by transforming growth factor type fl. Science 347, 1333-1336. 

Faler BJ, Macsata RA, Plummer D et al (2006) Transforming growth factor-beta and wound healing. Perspect Vase Surg Endovasc Ther 18(1) 55—62... 

Epidermal growth factor suppresses nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide production by keratinocytes. Potential role for nitric oxide in the regulation of wound healing. J. Biol. Chem. 267, 21277-21280. 

Overall, therefore, a range of growth factors may demonstrate potential in wound manage-ment/healing, or for other therapeutic indications. A summary of these factors and their biological activities/potential, therefore, constitutes the remainder of this chapter. 

PDGF plays an important role in the wound healing process. It is released at the site of damage by activated platelets, and acts as a mitogen/chemoattractant for many of the cells responsible for initiation of tissue repair. It thus tends to act primarily in a paracrine manner. It also represents an autocrine/paracrine growth factor for a variety of malignant cells. 

Cytokines are produced mainly by the leukocytes (white blood cells). They are potent polypeptide molecules that regulate the immune and inflammation functions, as well as hematopoiesis (production of blood cells) and wound healing. There are two major classes of cytokines (1) lymphokines and monokines and (2) growth factors. 

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