Abstract

Aging predisposes to skin ulcers, and once formed, they are hard to treat with the available strategies, supporting the need to explore novel treatments. Thus, Matpatch™ emerges, a phytotherapeutic patch that combines a polymeric scaffold with a standardized matico (Budleja globosa Hope) extract (BG-126). The aim of this research was to evaluate Matpatch™ at the preclinical level. For this, the biocompatibility of Matpatch™ with human dermal fibroblasts was determined by the measurement of cell viability through the resazurin assay and by the quantification of cytokines and trophic factors with commercial kits. In addition, histochemical, immune-histochemical and scanning electronic microscopy techniques were used to evaluate the cellular viability of the normal human fibroblasts grown on the scaffold. Finally, the product´s safety was studied on an ischemic wound model on aged rats, applying a Latin square experimental design. The viability assay and the histochemistry showed that the cell population seeded on top of Matpatch™ grew over time. In addition, the chemokine CXCL-12 and the trophic factor VEGF were detected in the supernatants of the fibroblasts cultured on the patch. The immune-histochemical analysis of the patch corroborated VEGF expression. The examination of the biopsies from the wounds treated with Matpatch™, showed vWF expression, an angiogenesis expression marker, and from this analysis it was also observed that wounds treated with our product, exhibited a lower proportion of hyperplasic scars, compared with controls with no treatment, BG-126 or scaffold alone. It is concluded that Matpatch™ is biocompatible both in vitro as in vivo, promotes the secretion of trophic factors and chemokines relevant to a better wound healing.