Development of an A7G variant of recombinant human G-CSF for improved fibroblast-mediated wound healing

Recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rh-G-CSF) is useful in tissue regeneration due to its angiogenic and anti-inflammatory actions. The current study focused on the downstream process of A7G mutant rh-G-CSF (m-rh-G-CSF) and the effects of m-rh-G-CSF on human fibroblasts. The m-rh-G-CSF was purified and had 97.24% purity, a final protein concentration of 0.814 g/L and a molecular weight of 18,784 Da. The addition of m-rh-G-CSF significantly elevated the ATP level in the treated cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The maximal ATP level was achieved at a concentration of 2.5 μg/mL and was 89% higher than in the control cells and 13% higher than in reference rh-G-CSF. In the scratch-wound assay, 92.67% and 98.69% wound closure were observed at 24 and 48 h after the addition of m-rh-G-CSF, respectively, compared with 49.93% in control cells at 48 h. These findings support the potential of m-rh-G-CSF as a therapeutic candidate for fibroblast-mediated wound healing.