Windi Sawitri, Agung Putra, Chodijah Chodijah, Atina Husana, Hadi Sarosa, Nur Dina Amalina
Background/Aim: Superficial wound infections cause delayed remodelling by suppressing the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), which inhibits collagen synthesis. Secretomes derived from hypoxic mesenchymal stem cells (SH-MSCs) contain a variety of cytokines and growth factors that contribute to accelerated wound healing and infection suppression. This study aimed to investigate the effects of SH-MSC gel on the expression of the α-SMA gene and the collagen density in the skin tissue of rats with superficial wound infections. Methods: The research design utilised a post-test-only control group with a completely randomised format. The study sample consisted of 24 rats with superficial wound infections induced by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria at a concentration of 5 x 107 CFU/mL in 100 µL. The study included four groups: a healthy group, a negative control group, treatment group 1 (T1) receiving a 10 % dose of SH-MSCs gel and treatment group 2 (T2) receiving a 20 % dose of SH-MSCs gel. The expression of the α-SMA gene was analysed through qRT-PCR and collagen density was assessed using Masson's trichrome staining. Results: The qRT-PCR analysis indicated that the α-SMA gene expression was significantly elevated in the T2 group, registering the highest level at 10.03 ± 3.78. This was followed by the T1 group, which had a mean α-SMA gene expression of 4.96 ± 2.77. The negative control treatment group exhibited the lowest level of α-SMA expression, measuring at 0.46 ± 0.09. Additionally, collagen density analysis showed an increase in the T2 group, which had the highest collagen density at 35.68 ± 5.28, followed closely by the T1 group at 34.78 ± 1.72. The negative control group exhibited the lowest collagen density, recorded at 17.39 ± 2.47. Conclusion: The administration of SH-MSCs gel can enhance α-SMA gene expression and increase collagen density in a rat model of superficial wound infection. © 2025 Sawitri et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Department of Postgraduate Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Sultan Agung Islamic University, Semarang, Indonesia; Faculty of Medicine, Universitas 'Aisyiyah, Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Department of Pathology, Medical Faculty, Sultan Agung Islamic University, Semarang, Indonesia; Stem Cell and Cancer Research Indonesia, Semarang, Indonesia; Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Semarang, Indonesia
