Hypoxic mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned medium accelerates wound healing by regulating IL-10 and TGF-β levels in a full-thickness-wound rat model

Abstract

Full-thickness wound healing is a complex process requiring a well-orchestrated mechanism of various factors, including cytokines, particularly interleukin (IL)-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. IL-10 and TGF-β act as robust anti-inflammatory cytokines in accelerating the wound healing process by regulating myofibroblasts. Hypoxic mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned medium (hypMSC-CM) containing cytokines potentially contribute to accelerate wound repair without scarring through the paracrine mechanism. This study aims to observe the role of hypMSC-CM in controlling TGF-β and IL-10 levels to accelerate full-thickness wound repair and regeneration. A total of 24 male Wistar rats were used in this study. Six healthy rats as a sham group and 18 rats were created as full-thickness-wound animal models using a 6 mm punch biopsy. The animals were randomly assigned into three groups (n = 6) consisting of two treatment groups treated with hypMSC-CM at a low dose (200 μL hypMSC-CM with 2 g water-based gel added) and a high dose (400 μL hypMSC-CM with 2 g water-based gel added) and a control group (2 g water-based gel only). The IL-10 and TGF-β levels were examined by ELISA. The results showed a significant increase in IL-10 levels on day 3 after hypMSC-CM treatment, followed by a decrease in platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) levels on days 6 and 9. In line with this finding, the TGF-β levels also increased significantly on day 3 and then linearly decreased on days 6 and 9. HypMSC-CM administration may thus promote wound healing acceleration by controlling IL-10 and TGF-β levels in a full-thickness-wound rat model.