MANIPULATION OF CELLULAR INTERACTIONS WITH BIOMATERIALS TOWARD A THERAPEUTIC OUTCOME : A PERSPECTIVE

Manipulation of the Wound healing process and the manner in which tissues interact with inertbiomaterials were both made possible with the discovery of arginine-glucine (RGD) acid as a major cell recognition signal in the extracellular matrix. Whether promoting cell adhesion can be rationally designed to incorporate both stability and integrin specificity. Synthetic peptides containing this sequence have been linked to biodegradable biopolumers and introduced for the enhancement of dermal and corneal wound healing. By accelerating the healing reaction using RGD-containing peptides, the quality of regenerted tissue seems to be improved, the extent of fibrosis retricted, and the risk of microbial infection may be reduced. Controlling the degree of fibrosis that often accmmpanies the healing of wounds and the reaction of tissue to foreign materials can also be achieved by natural antagonists of fibrogenic activity of TGF-beta animal models of kidney fobrosis. There advances in the biotechnology of wound healing and tissue regeneration eventually will have an overal impact on the quality of health care.