CONTROL OF SCARRING IN ADULT WOUNDS USING ANTISENSE TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR-$\beta$ OLIGODEOXYNUCLEOTIDES

Although synthetic antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) have been used to dissect gene function in vitro, technical difficulties of targeted delivery prevented the use of this approach for investigating the effect of gene products in vivo. Here we report the use of local delivery of antisense transforming growth factor-${\beta}$l (TGF-${\beta}$1) oligonucleotides to decrease the fibrosis in the skin wound. Adult wounds heal with scar-tissue formation, whereas fetal wounds heal without scarring and with a lesser inflammatory and cytokine response. We reasoned that strategy emptying antisense TGF-${\beta}$1 ODNs complementary to TGF-${\beta}$1 mRNA might decrease the scarring in dermal wound of mouse. To evaluate this concept, we tested the effects of antisense ODNs targeted to TGF-${\beta}$1 mRNA by topical application of the chemical on the skin wound. Phosphorothioate antisense ODNs was employed to retard their degradation. When antisense TGF-${\beta}$1 ODNs were applied into the wound site, there was a maked reduction of scar compared with control wound site, These effects of antisense TGF-${\beta}$1 ODNs on the scar formation were associated with decreased expression of TGF-${\beta}$1 gene. However sense TGF-${\beta}$l ODNs had no effect on expression of TGF-${\beta}$1 gene. Also, control wounds healed with excessive fibrosis, whereas the antisense treated wounds healed with less fibrosis. In conclusion, our results indicate that antisense TGF-${\beta}$1 ODNs could be used for amelioating scar formation during wound healing.