Elsevier

Bioelectrochemistry

Volume 144, April 2022, 107980
Bioelectrochemistry

Gene electrotransfer of FGF2 enhances collagen scaffold biocompatibility

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioelechem.2021.107980Get rights and content
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open access

Highlights

  • Biphasic GET enhanced gene delivery and reduced twitching and skin damage.

  • FGF2 delivery reduced inflammation and foreign body response to implants.

  • Localized FGF delivery increased blood supply to the implant.

Abstract

Tendon injuries are a common athletic injury that have been increasing in prevalence. While there are current clinical treatments for tendon injuries, they have relatively long recovery times and often do not restore native function of the tendon. In the current study, gene electrotransfer (GET) parameters for delivery to the skin were optimized with monophasic and biphasic pulses with reporter and effector genes towards optimizing underlying tendon healing. Tissue twitching and damage, as well as gene expression and distribution were evaluated. Bioprinted collagen scaffolds, mimicking healthy tendon structure were then implanted subcutaneously for biocompatibility and angiogenesis analyses when combined with GET to accelerate healing. GET of human fibroblast FGF2 significantly increased angiogenesis and biocompatibility of the bioprinted implants when compared to implant only sites. The combination of bioprinted collagen fibers and angiogenic GET therapy may lead to better graft biocompatibility in tendon repair.

Keywords

Gene therapy
Gene electrotransfer
Collagen bioprinting
Tendon regeneration
Angiogenesis
Biocompatibility

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