Development of alginate wound dressings linked with hybrid peptides derived from laminin and elastin

We designed hybrid peptides, SIRVXVXPG (X: A or G), from a laminin-derived peptide, SIKVAV, and an elastin-derived peptide, VGVAPG, and tried to develop new alginate dressings linked covalently with the hybrid peptides. First, we examined the effectiveness of the hybrid peptides for cell attachment and proliferation using normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) in vitro. The hybrid peptides promoted attachment of NHDF, whereas neither Ac-KSIKVAV nor Ac-KVGVAPG promoted attachment. Although all the peptides we examined promoted the proliferation of NHDF to some extent, the hybrid peptide-coated plates showed strong NHDF proliferative activity, compared with the other peptide. Next, we created alginate dressings linked with some of these peptides and examined their effectiveness in wound healing using a rabbit ear skin defect model in vivo. Nine days after operation, ears with the alginate dressings linked with the hybrid peptides showed significantly greater epithelialization and a larger volume of regenerated tissue compared to those treated with SIVAV-linked, VGVAPG-linked and unlinked alginate dressings. These new alginate dressings linked with the hybrid peptides could be promising dressings especially for wounds with impaired healing.