Strictly on time
Blood vessels deliver nutrients and oxygen to every organ of our body. After damage, for example, as a result of a myocardial infarction, it is difficult to completely restore them to their original state. This is due to the fact that the regeneration of the vascular structure requires consistent exposure to various angiogenic growth factors.
A research team from Pohang University of Science and Technology, South Korea, has developed a new technology that allows the sequential delivery of growth factors for the formation of blood vessels using the adhesive protein of mussels (MAP) – a biomaterial made from harmless to humans shellfish.
Professor Hyun Joon Cha, Dr. Tae Yoon Park and their colleagues used two components: MAP microparticles based on a colloidal solution and a complex of hydrogels associated with light exposure. Both components can be produced on a large scale.
It is known that endothelial vascular growth factor (VEGF) is necessary for the early stage of angiogenesis, and platelet growth factor (PDGF) is necessary for the late stage. The research team produced microparticles by instant encapsulation and crosslinking of PDGF, which should be released last. Next, the PDGF-loaded microparticles were combined with VEGF, which is needed at an early stage, and placed in a MAP-based hydrogel.
The group tested the effectiveness of the patch in tissue regeneration and the formation of new vessels on rat models of myocardial infarction and excisional, i.e. with a large tissue defect, skin wound that is not capable of self-healing.
This effective angiogenesis-inducing platform released PDGF 1.9 times slower, despite its smaller size than VEGF. In addition, the group confirmed that the platform has high adhesive properties and can be easily attached even to uneven surfaces.
Due to its excellent physicochemical characteristics, the new system of sequential release of molecules can be successfully applied in many fields of medicine as a waterproof bioplastics with the possibility of controlled delivery of angiogenic factors in the treatment of ischemic diseases.
Article by T.Y.Park et al. Adhesive protein-based angiogenesis-mimicking spatiotemporal sequential release of angiogenic factors for functional regenerative medicine is published in the journal Biomaterials.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on POSTECH materials: Blood Vessel Formation in Damaged Tissues with Mussel Adhesive Protein.