A “sweet” way to increase the metabolic activity and migratory response of cells associated with wound healing: deoxy-sugar incorporated polymer fibres as a bioactive wound patch

The selection of a wound dressing is crucial for successful wound management. Conventional dressings are preferable for the treatment of simple wounds. However, a bioactive wound dressing that supports wound management and accelerates the healing process is required when it comes to treating non-self-healing wounds. 2-deoxy-D-ribose (2dDR) is a small deoxy sugar that naturally occurs in human body. Although we have previously demonstrated that 2dDR can be used to induce neovascularisation and accelerates wound healing in vitro and in vivo, the literature on small sugars is conflicting, and the knowledge on how 2dDR achieves its biological activity is very limited. In this study, several small sugars including D-glucose (DG), 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2dDG), 2deoxy-L-ribose (2dLR) were compared to 2dDR by investigating their effects on the metabolic activities of both human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs) and human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). Then, for the first time, a two-dimensional (2D) scratch wound healing model was used to explore the migratory response of HDFs in response to 2dDR treatment. Finally, 2dDR was incorporated into Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) polymer fibres via electrospinning, and the metabolic activity of both types of cells in vitro was investigated in response to sugar release via Alamar Blue assay. The results demonstrated that 2dDR was the only sugar, among others, that enhances the metabolic activity of both HDMECs and HDFs and the migratory response of HDFs in a 2D scratch assay in a dose-dependent manner. In addition to direct administration, 2dDR was also found to increase the metabolic activity of HDMECs and HDFs over 7 days when released from polymer fibres. It is concluded that 2dDR is a potential pro-angiogenic agent that has a positive impact not only on endothelial cells but also fibroblasts, which take a key role in wound healing. It could easily be introduced into polymeric scaffolds to be released quickly to enhance the metabolic activity and the migratory response of cells that are associated with angiogenesis and wound healing.