Quantitative evaluation of fibroblast migration on a silk fibroin surface and TGFBI gene expression

Cell migration plays important roles in natural processes involving embryonic development, inflammation, wound healing, cancer metastasis and angiogenesis. Cell migration on various biomaterials is also believed to improve the rate of wound healing and implant therapies in the tissue-engineering field. This study measured the distance traversed, or mileage, of mouse fibroblasts on a silk fibroin surface. Fibroblasts on the fibroin surface moved with better progress during 24 h than cells on collagen or fibronectin surfaces. Results obtained by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) revealed that fibroblasts on the fibroin surface expressed transforming growth factor β-induced protein (TGFBI), which is an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein, stronger than on other surfaces in the early cell-culture stages. These results demonstrate that the fibroin surface shows higher potential to enhance cell migration and the production of ECM than a collagen or fibronectin surface.