Low-dose ionizing radiation <i>in vivo</i> unlocks the therapeutic potential of prevascularized dermal spheroids in chronic wounds.

ABSTRACT: Chronic wounds (CWs), particularly in diabetic patients, remain a major clinical challenge because of impaired angiogenesis and fibroblast dysfunction. This study investigated the therapeutic synergy between low-dose ionizing radiation (LDIR; 0.3 Gy) and prevascularized spheroids composed of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) embedded in a xeno-free fibrin hydrogel. In vitro, LDIR enhanced endothelial sprouting and fibroblast outgrowth from HDF-ECFC spheroids without affecting morphology or viability. Gene and protein analyses revealed LDIR-induced upregulation of angiogenic and profibrotic markers, including VEGFR2, CD31, VE-cadherin, COL4A2, α-SMA, TGF-β1 and LH2. Conditioned media from irradiated spheroids exhibited a proangiogenic secret

SUBMITTER: Rocha F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12676115 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature