Comparison of the Cytotoxicities and Wound Healing Effects of Hyaluronan, Carbomer, and Alginate on Skin Cells In Vitro

OBJECTIVE: To compare the cytotoxicities and efficacy of hyaluronan (HA), carbomer, and sodium alginate on repairing thermal-injured cells and promoting cell migration. DESIGN: The 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo(-z-y1)-3,5-di-phenytetra-zoliumromide method was used to evaluate the cytotoxicities of HA, carbomer, and sodium alginate on L929 mouse fibroblasts and their repairing ability to thermal-injured HaCaT keratinocytes. A scratch test was used to observe the effects of the 3 materials on cell migration. RESULTS: Hyaluronan with different molecular weights were nontoxic, even at the concentration of 0.5%, whereas carbomer and sodium alginate showed mild or moderate cytotoxicities when their concentrations were higher than 0.1%. Cell viability and cell density of the thermal-injured keratinocytes treated with HA (600, 1070, and 1500 kDa) were increased significantly compared with that of model control (P < .05), whereas carbomer aggravated cell injury, and sodium alginate had no obvious repairing ability. Hyaluronan promoted cell migration significantly with higher cell density in the scratch area, compared with the control after culture for 48 hours; both carbomer and sodium alginate inhibited the cell migration, and carbomer altered the cell morphology completely. CONCLUSIONS: Hyaluronan can repair cell injury and promote cell migration and proliferation. It also has good biocompatibility. As a new type of hydrogel matrix, HA is superior to carbomer and sodium alginate if it is used in wound caring preparations.