%0 Journal Article
%T Hepatocyte Growth Factor-Loaded Biomaterials for Mesenchymal Stem Cell Recruitment
%A Julia van de Kamp
%A Willi Jahnen-Dechent
%A Bjoern Rath
%A Ruth Knuechel
%A Sabine Neuss
%J Stem Cells International
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/892065
%X Human adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) can be readily harvested from bone marrow through aspiration. MSC are involved in tissue regeneration and repair, particularly in wound healing. Due to their high self-renewal capacity and excellent differentiation potential in vitro, MSC are ideally suited for regenerative medicine. The complex interactions of MSC with their environment and their influence on the molecular and functional levels are widely studied but not completely understood. MSC secrete, for example, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), whose concentration is enhanced in wounded areas and which is shown to act as a chemoattractant for MSC. We produced HGF-loaded biomaterials based on collagen and fibrin gels to develop a recruitment system for endogenous MSC to improve wound healing. Here, we report that HGF incorporated into collagen or fibrin gels leads to enhanced and directed MSC migration in vitro. HGF-loaded biomaterials might be potentially used as in vivo wound dressings to recruit endogenous MSC from tissue-specific niches towards the wounded area. This novel approach may help to reduce costly multistep procedures of cell isolation, in vitro culture, and transplantation usually used in tissue engineering. 1. Introduction Wound healing is involved in all processes of tissue regeneration and repair. Its complex processes depend on the proper interactions between cells of different origin and extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Beside, cells of the immune system and diverse resident cells, mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) play a key role in wound healing [1]. Human MSC can be isolated from various tissues (e.g., bone marrow or adipose tissue) and their stem cell characteristics are described in detail since the pioneering work of Friedenstein and coworkers in 1968 [2, 3]. In addition, MSC possess immunomodulatory and trophic properties, making them a promising cell source for regenerative medicine [4]. Endogenous MSC migrate towards the damaged area, participating strongly in the wound healing response through paracrine communication [5]. Paracrine communication occurs via a concerted action of bioactive factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor, epidermal growth factor, keratinocyte growth factor, and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) [6, 7]. HGF is outstanding because of its proangiogenic and chemotactic properties. Its receptor c-met is expressed in MSC, making the cells migrate towards a higher HGF gradient. This gradient is additionally established by macrophages and apoptotic cells [8, 9]. Furthermore, MSC participate in the wound
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/sci/2013/892065/