title: A slow-release fibrin matrix increases adeno-associated virus transduction of wound repair cells in vivo.
abstract: Virus-mediated gene therapy is a promising strategy for numerous tissue engineering applications. Fibrin-based scaffolds have been previously used as vehicles for localised delivery of adenovirus to wound sites. However, their utility in the delivery of adeno-associated viruses to wound repair cells has not yet been determined. The influence of fibrin concentration on efficacy of delivery of AAV-2 to wound tissue was assessed in this study. Fibrin scaffolds containing recombinant AAV-2 encoding for β-galactosidase were polymerised in porous polyurethane discs and implanted subcutaneously in rats. A fibrin scaffold with a concentration of 50 mg/ml showed significantly elevated levels of β-galactosidase activity within explanted discs at 10 days compared to 10 mg/ml and 25 mg/ml fibrin. These findings inform efforts to optimise biodegradable scaffolds for the localised delivery of AAV in tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: 1Cardiovascular Research Unit, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Deon
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bezuidenhout
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zilla
authors.forename: Neil H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000229:Dependovirus / Q000235:genetics*; D005337:Fibrin / Q000378:metabolism*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D014161:Transduction, Genetic; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D005337:Fibrin
keywords: Adeno-associated virus; biodegradable; fibrin; scaffolds; wound healing