The functional behavior of a macrophage/fibroblast co-culture model derived from normal and diabetic mice with a marine gelatin–oxidized alginate hydrogel

Tissues/cells-mediated biodegradable material degradation is epitomized by the constantly changing tissues/cell–implant interface, implicating the constant adaptation of the tissues/cells. Macrophages and fibroblasts are multi-functional cells highly involved in the interactions; the two cell types modulates the behaviors of each other, but their combinatorial functional behavior in the presence of interactive bioactive wound dressings has not been adequately examined. The activity is further complicated by the implantation of biodegradable materials, such as hydrogels commonly utilized as wound dressings, in a pathological environment and this is exemplified by the macrophages with a diabetic pathology producing an alternative cytokine profile which is implicated in wound healing delay. In this study, an in situ gelable formable/conformable hydrogel formulated from modified alginate and marine gelatin was used as a model biodegradable interactive wound dressing to elucidate the combinatorial behavior of macrophages/fibroblasts derived from both normal and diabetic hosts. Cell proliferation, migration and distribution were first characterized; this was followed by simultaneous quantitative detection of 40 inflammatory cytokines and chemokines by a protein microarray. The results showed that the macrophages/fibroblasts co-culture promoted fibroblasts proliferation and migration in the presence of the hydrogel; moreover, the expressions of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were altered when compared with the corresponding fibroblasts or macrophages monocultures. The inflammatory cytokines patterns between the normal and diabetic hosts were considerably different.