Objective: To investigate the effect of free sialic acid on collagen gene expression in fibroblasts.
Design: Cell culture study.
Setting: University hospital, Finland. CELL LINES: Human granulation tissue fibroblasts, human hypertrophic scar fibroblasts and human keloid fibroblasts.
Interventions: Treatment of cell cultures with 3 microM, 30 microM and 300 microM N-acetyl-neuraminic acid.
Main outcome measures: The measurement of steady state level of mRNA for type I and type III collagen.
Results: Fibroblast lines react dissimilarly under the influence of sialic acid. Granulation tissue fibroblasts showed decrease in the gene expression of type I and III collagen, while keloid fibroblasts contrastingly showed an increase. Hypertrophic scar derived fibroblasts showed no change.
Conclusions: Sialic acids may decrease collagen gene expression in granulation tissue and that disturbed wound healing in diabetics and smokers may in part be due to direct effect of sialic acids on fibroblasts. Sialic acids may in part induce keloid formation.