Optimum scratch assay condition to evaluate connective tissue growth factor expression for anti-scar therapy

To evaluate a potential anti-scar therapy, we first need to have a reliable in vitro wound model to understand dermal fibroblast response upon cell injury and how cytokine levels are changed upon different wound heal phases. An in vitro wound model with different scratch assay conditions on primary human foreskin fibroblast monolayer cultures was prepared and cytokine levels and growth properties were evaluated with the aim of determining optimum injury conditions and observation time. Morphological characteristics of differently scratched fibroblasts from 0 to 36 h post injury (1 line, 2 lines and 3 lines) were investigated. The expression of connective tissue growth factor, CTGF, which is a key mediator in hyper-tropic scarring, and relative intensity of CTGF as a function of time were determined by western blot and gelatin Zymography. After injury (1 line), CTGF level was increased more than 2-fold within 1 h and continuously increased up to 3-fold at 6 h and was leveled down to reach normal value at 36 h, at which cell migration was complete. In more serious injury (2 lines), higher expression of CTGF was observed. The down regulation of CTGF expression after CTGF siRNA/lipofectamine transfection in control, 1 line and 2 lines scratch conditions were 40%, 75% and 55%, respectively. As a model anti-CTGF based therapy, CTGF siRNA with different ratios of linear polyethyleneimine (PEI) complexes (1:1, 1:5, 1:10, 1:20 and 1:30) were prepared and down-regulation efficacy of CTGF was evaluated with our optimized scratch assay, which is 1 line injury at 6 h post injury observation time. As the cationic linear PEI ratio increased, the down regulation efficacy was increased from 20% (1:20) to 55% (1:30). As CTGF level was increased to the highest at 6 h and leveled down afterwards, CTGF level at 6 h could provide the most sensitive response upon CTGF siRNA transfection. The scratch assay in the present study can be employed as a useful experimental tool to differentiate between anti-scar therapies for their down regulation efficacy of CTGF.