title: The effects of insulin-like growth factor-1 gene therapy and cell transplantation on rat acute wound model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Wound healing is a complex process. Different types of skin cells, extracellular matrix and variety of growth factors are involved in wound healing. The use of recombinant growth factors in researches and production of skin substitutes are still a challenge.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Much research has been done on the effects of gene therapy and cell therapy on wound healing. In this experimental study, the effect of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) gene transfer in fibroblast cells was assessed on acute dermal wound healing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fibroblasts were cultured and transfected with IGF-1. Lipofectamine 2000 was used as a reagent of transfection. Transgene expression levels were measured by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). To study in vivo, rats (weighing 170-200 g) were randomly divided into three groups (five/group) and full-thickness wounds were created on the dorsum region. Suspensions of transfected fibroblast cells were injected into the wound and were compared with wounds treated with native fibroblast cells and normal saline. For the microscopic examination, biopsy was performed on day seven.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In vitro, the maximum expression of IGF1 (96.95 pg/mL) in transfected fibroblast cells was 24 hours after gene transfer. In vivo, it was clear that IGF-1 gene therapy caused an increase in the number of keratinocyte cells during the wound healing process (mean of group A vs. group B with P value = 0.01, mean of group A vs. group C with P value = 0.000). Granulation of tissue formation in the transfected fibroblast group was more organized when compared with the normal saline group and native fibroblast cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study indicated that the optimization of gene transfer increases the expression of IGF-1. High concentrations of IGF-1, in combination with cell therapy, have a significant effect on wound healing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Fereshteh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Talebpour Amiri
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fadaei Fathabadi
authors.affiliation: Skin Research Centre, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mahnaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mahmoudi Rad
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piryae
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Azar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghasemi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khalilian
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Farshid
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yeganeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Nariman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mosaffa
keywords: Cell Transplantation; Fibroblast; Gene Therapy; IGF-1; Wound Healing