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Updated: Dec 25, 2025
Fabrication of Size-Controlled and Emulsion-Free Chitosan-Genipin Microgels for Tissue Engineering Applications
Published on: April 13, 2022
Effect of genipin crosslinked chitosan scaffolds containing SDF-1 on wound healing in a rat model
Chun-Hsu Yao1, Kuo-Yu Chen2, Mei-Huei Cheng2
1Biomaterials Translational Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40202, Taiwan; Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Science, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan; School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan; Department of Biomedical Informatics, Asia University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan.
Abstract:
Prolonged healing is a severe problem for elderly and diabetic patients. Impaired angiogenesis, stem cell differentiation, and migration have been shown to delay wound healing. The chemokine stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) plays an essential role in recruiting cells to wound sites and is suggested to be a candidate for tissue engineering. In this study, chitosan (CHI) scaffolds were crosslinked with nontoxic genipin (Gp) and further heparinized for SDF-1 immobilization. Then, the structures were evaluated for their physicochemical properties (porosity, swelling ratio, and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR)). The interaction between SDF-1 and heparin could sustain SDF-1 release, which has been shown to enhance human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) 2D/3D migration. The investigation of the wound-healing activity of the SDF-1-loaded CHI scaffolds revealed a better wound recovery rate in vivo in healthy and streptozotocin-induced diabetic Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The histological analysis illustrated that the local of SDF-1 treatment scaffold at the wound site enhanced neovascularization. The wounds treated with SDF-1 scaffolds also exhibited higher vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) expression in Western blot assays. Based on the wound-healing activity and beneficial characteristics, the SDF-1-loaded CHI scaffold demonstrates potential as a material for treating skin wounds.
