Development of a new biological dressing: the modified cross-linking of Chitosan derived from cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis) by-products as an effective agent for promoting cell migration.

This study aimed to extract chitosan (CS) from cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis) bones (CB) and then chemically modify it to produce carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC). Marine cuttlefish skin collagen peptide (MCP) was then cross-linked with CMC to form a novel CMC-MCP complex. The physicochemical properties and biological effects of CS, CMC, MCP, and CMC-MCP were evaluated using human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cell lines. All materials showed cytotoxicity at high concentrations (100-1600 µg/mL), negatively affecting cell viability. At a lower concentration of 50 µg/mL, the materials were used to assess cell migration. Among them, the CMC-MCP complex significantly promoted cell migration. Additionally, CMC-MCP treatment led to increased expression levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and 9) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP-1 and 2), which are key regulators in the wound healing process. These findings suggest that the CMC-MCP complex has potential as an economical, safe, and effective biological dressing for promoting wound healing. Further studies are recommended to explore its interaction with other healing-related factors, such as nutrients and growth factors, to better understand its influence on various stages of tissue repair.