Collagen extract obtained from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) skin accelerates wound healing in rat model via up regulating VEGF, bFGF, and α-SMA genes expression

Abstract

Background Collagen is the most abundant structural protein in the mammalian connective tissue and represents approximately 30% of animal protein. The current study evaluated the potential capacity of collagen extract derived from Nile tilapia skin in improving the cutaneous wound healing in rats and investigated the underlying possible mechanisms. A rat model was used, and the experimental design included a control group (CG) and the tilapia collagen treated group (TCG). Full-thickness wounds were conducted on the back of all the rats under general anesthesia, then the tilapia collagen extract was applied topically on the wound area of TCG. Wound areas of the two experimental groups were measured on days 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 post-wounding. The stages of the wound granulation tissues were detected by histopathologic examination and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and transforming growth factor (TGF-ß1) were investigated using immunohistochemistry. Moreover, relative gene expression analysis of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß1), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were quantified by real-time qPCR. Results The histopathological assessment showed noticeable signs of skin healing in TCG compared to CG. Immunohistochemistry results revealed remarkable enhancement in the expression levels of VEGF and TGF-β1 in TCG. Furthermore, TCG exhibited marked upregulation in the VEGF, bFGF, and α-SMA genes expression. These findings suggested that the topical application of Nile tilapia collagen extract can promote the cutaneous wound healing process in rats, which could be attributed to its stimulating effect on recruiting and activating macrophages to produce chemotactic growth factors, fibroblast proliferation, and angiogenesis. Conclusions The collagen extract could, therefore, be a potential biomaterial for cutaneous wound healing therapeutics.

Application of Fish Collagen-Nanochitosan-Henna Extract Composites for the Control of Skin Pathogens and Accelerating Wound Healing

“…As appointed in Figure 1-(1), the main characteristic bands for Cg were observed, especially the corresponding band to amide A, amide B, and amides I, II, and III, at 3331, 2922, 1658, 1593, and 1239 cm -1 , respectively. The detected bands and their wavenumbers are closely related to formerly reported representative bands for fish Cg, in close spectral wavenumbers to current findings [46][47][48].…”

“…Several studies indicated the elevated potentiality of fish Cg in healing progress and wound contraction; they confirmed Cg actions for accelerating healing development and epithelization by stimulating keratinocytes' differentiation and proliferation [48,[67][68][69][70]. The Cg was proved to augment the gene expressions of TGF (transforming growth factors), FGF (fibroblast growth factor), and VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factors), which led to stimulating cutaneous tissue healing via activating/recruiting fibroblast proliferation, angiogenesis, and deriving macrophages to generate chemotactic factors [48,65,70].…”

A Prototype Skin Substitute, Made of Recycled Marine Collagen, Improves the Skin Regeneration of Sheep

“…In the wound model, the CBSS treatment always showed an upregulation of VEGF-A gene expression, a growth factor that supports neoangiogenesis, especially during the first two weeks. Thereby, it could have improved the formation of new vessels and promoted healing through the development of the granulation tissue [ 47 , 66 , 67 ].…”

Marine-Derived Collagen as Biomaterials for Human Health

“…Moreover, the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were significantly increased, and the gene expressions of VEGF, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and Alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were significantly up-regulated. These results indicate that local application of Nile tilapia collagen extract can promote skin wound healing in rats, which may be due to its stimulating effect on the recruitment and activation of macrophages to produce chemotactic growth factors, fibroblast proliferation and angiogenesis ( 24 ). The researchers also used Snakehead fish collagen, Queen Fish skin collagen, Rhizostoma pulmo jellyfish collagen, and Giant Croaker (Nibea japonica) swim Bladders Collagen Japan swim bladder was used for wound healing experiment.…”