Transdermal peptide-hCOL3A hydrogel significantly accelerates full-thickness skin wound closure in mice.

Effective skin wound healing is a highly intricate biological process demanding precise coordination of cellular responses and robust extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. Type III collagen (COL3A) is a crucial component, particularly vital during the early stages of tissue repair and granulation tissue formation. However, the direct application of collagen for therapeutic purposes has been historically hampered by its inherent instability and significant challenges in achieving efficient transdermal delivery. This limitation creates a critical gap in developing advanced biomaterials capable of stably delivering bioactive collagen to wound sites, thereby restricting its full therapeutic potential in regenerative medicine.

Researchers engineered a sterile transdermal peptide-recombinant human type III collagen (transdermal peptide-hCOL3A) hydrogel designed to enhance biological activity and promote wound healing. The hydrogel was meticulously formulated using a carbomer matrix, augmented with trehalose, propylene glycol, and triethanolamine, serving as a stable vehicle for the transdermal peptide-hCOL3A protein. Protein integrity within the formulation was rigorously confirmed through SDS-PAGE analysis. To evaluate its therapeutic efficacy, a full-thickness skin defect model was established in mice, with the hydrogel applied topically. The primary endpoints included assessment of wound closure rates and overall healing progression over a period of 7-8 days, compared against a control hydrogel lacking the active peptide-hCOL3A component.

The developed transdermal peptide-hCOL3A hydrogel demonstrated a uniform structural integrity and favorable physical properties, indicating its suitability for topical application. Critically, in the full-thickness skin defect model, the transdermal peptide-hCOL3A-loaded hydrogel significantly accelerated wound closure when compared to the control hydrogel. This enhanced efficacy was clearly evidenced by a faster reduction in wound area, indicating a more rapid re-epithelialization and tissue regeneration process. The improved healing progression was consistently observed over the 7-8 day evaluation period. The mechanism underpinning these positive outcomes is believed to involve enhanced collagen bioavailability at the wound site, directly supporting robust tissue regeneration and ECM remodeling. This suggests the innovative hydrogel successfully overcomes previous challenges associated with collagen delivery.

The transdermal peptide-hCOL3A hydrogel significantly accelerated wound closure and improved healing progression in mice over 7-8 days.