Wound Treatment Using Growth Factors

Treatment with growth factors is an effective method to promote wound healing. Several growth factors have been used in wound treatment, including basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) discovered in the 1970s, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP). In 2001, Kaken Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. launched Fiblast Spray in Japan. This product is a topical formulation containing recombinant human bFGF. It is used to treat decubitus ulcers and skin ulcers (burn ulcers and leg ulcers). There is increasing interest in its stimulatory effect on wound healing and its inhibitory effect on scar formation. Wound healing is a physiological phenomenon that involves a complex series of integrated cellular and biochemical responses, characterized by phases of hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and maturation. However, much of its detailed mechanism remains unknown. There have been many basic research studies on wound healing using cells and experimental animals. If findings can be used from such studies and clinical practice, development of even more effective treatments might be possible.