Extracellular Matrix-Liposomes: A Novel Vehicle for Tissue Regenerative Wound Healing

Abstract

The unfolded states of fibronectin (FN) subsequently induce the formation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) fibrillar network, which is necessary to generate new substitutive tissues. Here, we demonstrate that negatively charged small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) qualify as candidates for FN delivery due to their remarkable effects on the autonomous binding and unfolding of FN, which leads to increased tissue regeneration. In vitro experiments revealed that the FN-SUV complex remarkably increased the attachment, differentiation, and migration of fibroblasts. The potential utilization of this complex in vivo to treat inflammatory colon diseases is also described based on results obtained for ameliorated conditions in rats with ulcerative colitis (UC) that had been treated with the FN-SUV complex. Our findings provide a new ECM-delivery platform for ECM-based therapeutic applications and suggest that properly designed SUVs could be an unprecedented FN-delivery system that is highly effective in treating UC and other diseases.