Effects of Biosynthetic Human Epidermal Growth Factor on Wound Healing

We are investigating the ability of biosynthetic epidermal growth factor EGF to accelerating healing of cutaneous injuries including middermal wounds and incisions. In preclinical animal studies, EGF significantly increased the rate of epidermal regeneration 2-fold in pigs following second degree thermal injuries or middermal incisions. EGF also induced hyperplasia of the epidermal cell layer which remodeled to normal skin architecture two weeks after complete healing. Two peptide growth factors structurally related to EGF, vaccinia growth factor VGF and transforming growth factor-a TGF-a, also accelerated epidermal regeneration in middermal burns. A single application of EGF increased the tensile strength of cutaneous incisions in rats during the early phases of healing but only when formulated in a slow release vehicle such as liposomes. The rapid loss of EGF from the area of incisions when formulated in saline or viscous materials such as hyaluronic acid probably prevents its actions. Clinical trials with EGF in donor site middermal incisions are underway to evaluate its clinical usefulness. Keywords Medical services Regeneration Physiology.