Abstract
In this work, we studied cellular responses known to be involved in tissue regeneration, such as proliferation, migration and tubulogenesis under High Molecular Weight Chitosan (HMWC) and recombinant Platelet-derived Growth Factor (PDGF) treatments using an in vitro cell culture approach. We also analysed changes in mitochondrial dynamics that could be associated with such biological responses. For this proposes, endothelial human cell lines (EA.hy926 and ECFC) and 3T3-L1 mouse fibroblasts were used. The intracellular uptake of HMWC and their co-localization with acidic compartments were evaluated. Our results show that HMWC enhance PDGF-induced proliferation and cell migration in 3T3-L1 fibroblasts. An increase in PDGF-induced mitochondrial fragmentation was observed in 3T3-L1 cell line, but not in EA.hy926 cells, after the addition of HMWC. Endothelial cells, EA.hy926 and ECFC, potentiate their tubulogenesis capacity with the only addition of HMWC. The HMWC/PDGF-BB treatment notably enhanced tubule formation showing a synergistic effect when act combined in cell culture medium. The knowledge of these cellular responses can be used to design new tissue repair strategies using HMWC and PDGF.