Invisible scars
According to the data of Phase 2 of a multicenter controlled clinical trial led by employees of the Polytechnic Institute and Virginia State University, the alphaCT1 protein belonging to the connexin class improves the appearance of postoperative scars by restoring the collagen matrix of the skin and changing the behavior of the cells that form scars.
Professor Rob Gurdy's research team has determined why and how the alphaCT1 peptide improves the appearance of scars. Their study describes how the drug affects the behavior of fibroblasts, which are collagen-producing cells. The obtained data reveal previously unknown healing features and will help in improving the treatment of patients who have undergone surgical interventions.
The researchers examined the scar tissue of 49 healthy volunteers in a randomized, double-blind clinical trial. 5 mm skin samples from each hand were taken from each participant. The wound of one hand was treated with alphaCT1 gel, and the other with placebo gel. The wounds healed within 29 days, after which the scars were photographed and biopsied again.
Under the microscope, the collagen of untreated scars was packed into parallel bundles, which made the tissue less stretchable and more dense. On the contrary, the scars on which the experimental drug was applied had a collagen matrix resembling intact skin. The corresponding experiments were repeated using guinea pigs and rats and yielded similar results.
rice. Microscopy of a biopsy of a 29-day scar of the same volunteer demonstrates the effect of the molecule on the organization of collagen. The collagen bundles in the untreated scar (right) are more ordered compared to the collagen of the tissue treated with the alphaCT1 molecule (left), which is located more randomly, imitating intact skin.
The researchers also studied human skin cells grown in vitro to determine how the drug affects cellular activity in real time. They found that the presence of alphaCT1 causes fibroblasts to stretch, take their own shape again, and turn. This unusual behavior of fibroblasts seems to have a positive effect on scarring. In intact skin, collagen is entangled, allowing the tissue to deform and stretch in all directions. This "dance of fibroblasts" seems to affect how the collagen matrix is formed during scarring.
AlphaCT1 temporarily blocks the cellular signaling pathways of connexin-43– a protein of gap contacts between cells. Currently, this molecule is being evaluated in a phase 3 clinical trial in patients with bilateral mastectomy.
The authors predict that the drug with alphaCT1 can be used in various fields of medicine, including healing of postoperative wounds and trophic ulcers, radiation therapy and corneal tissue repair.
Article by J.Montgomery et al. The connexin 43 carboxyl terminal mimetic peptide aCT1 prompts differentiation of a collagen scar matrix in humans repairing unwounded skin is published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru according to the materials
Virginia Tech: Fralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists uncover how molecule improves appearance of surgery scars.