3.6. Migration and would healing assay of
cp-hFGF7115-114
In-vitro scratch wound healing analysis was performed using
NIH3T3 cells to evaluate the association between ERK activation and cell
proliferation in FGF7-stimulated cells. As shown in Figure 4D, untreated
NIH3T3 cells did not show migration after 72 h, whereas cells treated
with cp-hFGF7115-114 and hFGF7 (50 ng/mL) revealed
cell proliferation and wound repair by migration after 48 h. In this
result, cp-hFGF7115-114 displayed comparable or better
cell proliferation and wound healing ability than that of the wild type
hFGF7. Additionally, it was found that cell proliferation was difficult
to induce as that of the wild type hFGF7 using a low concentration of
cp-hFGF7 (1 ng/mL). These results confirmed that
cp-hFGF7115-114 retained the same or higher activity
than the commercially available rhFGF7.
Since the potential activities for cell proliferation and migration were
discovered, FGF7 has been considered a practical drug candidate. In
fact, although it is not an intact form, the variant Palifermin with a
24-amino acid deletion from the N-terminal region is commercially
available as a drug for the treatment of oral
mucositis.38 Therefore, the wild type hFGF7 and its
derivatives with suitable activity and stability would have potential
for practical applications.