Growth factor modulation of fibroblasts in simulated wound healing

Growth factors are potent bioactive molecules responsible for the co-ordination of many cell functions and interactions. Of these agents PDGF and IGF have shown particular promise as agents which may be used to stimulate periodontal regeneration. In order to further understand the mechanisms by which growth factors may work, a simple model of in vitro wound healing has been utilized to assess the effects of PDGF on human periodontal ligament fibroblasts and its potential to stimulate wound healing. Human periodontal ligament fibroblasts were plated into 24-well plates and upon reaching confluence were wounded by creating uniform discoid lesions stripped of cells. The influence of various concentrations of PDGF on cell proliferation, cell migration and extracellular matrix synthesis was monitored. The results of this study indicated that in the presence of 10 ng/ml PDGF and 0.2% fetal calf serum, both cell proliferation and cell migration were significantly stimulated. In the wounded cultures, PDGF appeared to cause a moderate stimulation of proteoglycan synthesis compared to unwounded cultures. In conclusion, the model system tested appears to be useful for studying fundamental cellular and biochemical events associated with wound healing. The effects of PDGF in this system confirm that it is capable of modulating fibroblasts in a manner compatible with the events associated with wound repair.