title: Astragulus polysaccharide-loaded fibrous mats promote the restoration of microcirculation in/around skin wounds to accelerate wound healing in a diabetic rat model.
abstract: Tissue engineering scaffolds (TES) can carry numerous biomacromolecules and cells, and they have been widely used in diabetic skin wound healing with positive effects. However, the bioactive retention of biomacromolecules and cells during fabrication and storage is still a factor restricting their use. Moreover, impaired blood supply in/around poorly healing diabetic skin wounds has not been considered. In the present study, a bioactive natural substance of Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), which has stable and confirmed effects on endothelial protection, was embedded into fibrous TES by electrospinning. The administration of APS-loaded TES on the skin wound in a diabetic rat model led to a dose-dependent promotion in skin blood flow around wounds and an increase in endoglin expression and microvessel density in regenerated skin tissues. Furthermore, the higher loading of APS in TES led to faster collagen synthesis, appendage and epidermal differentiation, and wound closure. In summary, the combination of APS with TES is a potentially novel therapeutic strategy for diabetic skin wound healing, as it not only mimics the ultrastructure of extracellular matrixes but also restores skin microcirculation.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, PR China; Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei 230031, PR China. Electronic address: gnayye@126.com.
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, PR China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, PR China; Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei 230031, PR China.
authors.forename: Dengke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei 230031, PR China; Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230031, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhaohui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Wuhan University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan 430071, PR China; Humanwell Healthcare (Group) Co., Wuhan 430074, PR China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D027883:Astragalus Plant / Q000737:chemistry*; D001458:Bandages; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008833:Microcirculation; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051381:Rats; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D011134:Polysaccharides
keywords: Angiogenesis; Astragulus polysaccharide; Diabetic; Skin wound healing; Tissue engineering scaffold