COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT DOSES OF BOTULINUM TOXIN TYPE A ON THE PROLIFERATION OF HUMAN SCAR FIBROBLASTS

Yao Niu, Liangyuan Zhao^*

Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, 030001, China

Objective: To investigate the effects of different doses of Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) on the proliferation of human scar fibroblasts. 

Methods: Eighty cases of hypertrophic scar tissue samples from the affiliated hospital of our university were taken as research objects between October 2017 and October 2019, and hypertrophic scar fibroblasts were obtained by tissue block isolation and culture. The 80 tissue samples were randomly divided into groups A, B, C and D, with 20 cases in each group. Group A was the control group, and no BTX-A intervention was performed. Samples from groups B, C and D were given 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 U/mL BTX-A for culture, respectively. The number of human scar fibroblasts was detected by CCK-8 kit on the first day, the third day, the fifth day and the seventh day of culture, respectively, and the apoptosis rates of the four groups of cell specimens were compared. The logarithmic phase of scar fibroblasts was determined using the Western blot method to detect Type I collagen and p-ERK1/2 protein expression levels. 

Results: There were statistically significant differences in the number of human scar fibroblasts between the four groups on the 3rd, 5th and 7th day of culture (P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in the apoptosis rate of scar fibroblasts between the four groups (P<0.05). The four groups had statistically significant (P<0.05) different levels of Type I collagen and p-ERK1/2 protein expression. The relative expression of Type I collagen in the four groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). 

Conclusion: BTX-A has a significant inhibitory effect on human scar fibroblasts, and the inhibitory effect is dose-dependent. Its mechanism is related to its inhibition of Type I collagen and p-ERK1/2 protein expression.