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High School Poster

HS Poster

Poster 56 - Effect of Conditioned Medium on Fibroblast Wound Healing

Saturday, October 26, 2024
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST
Location: Exhibit Hall E, F & G

Introduction: Fibroblasts are specialized connective tissue cells that play important roles in healing wounds and damaged tissue. Previous research has proven their significance in this healing process (Francesca Cialdai, et al*); exacerbating this strength could have tremendous applications in health and medicine As such, this research investigates the effect of conditioned medium (previously used medium with proteins from past cells) on the healing process of fibroblasts.

Materials and

Methods: Fibroblast cells were initially cultured and passaged using Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) to cultivate growth and trypsin to detach cells from the bottom of the well. After harvesting the cells, they were seeded in a 6-well plate. 4 wells contained the control (DMEM) and 2 wells the experimental (conditioned medium). The cells were then incubated for half an hour before being placed in a microscope for 24-hour live cell imaging. After imaging, the images were analyzed using the application ‘Imagej’ to measure wound lengths at five-hour intervals over a 20 hr period. Four wound length measurements were taken from the top, bottom, and middle sections of each well plate (control and experimental) at each of the aforementioned intervals. These results were then averaged out to find an average wound length at each position; the mean of these three numbers was calculated to find an overall value for scratch length at a certain time. A comparison of the change in lengths for the control and experimental wells by calculating the growth rate provided more definitive results.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions: Although the trends appeared the same (see Figure 1, noting that 1 pixel=0.86um), there was a marked difference between the two. It appears that the initial cut length of the control was 753.145um whereas the initial cut length of the conditioned medium was 992.66 um. Despite this disparity in initial size, the change in length over time was larger for the conditioned medium wells. The cut length for the control decreased by 35.045 um, ending with a value of 718.1um. Comparatively, the cut length for the conditioned medium changed by a much larger 117.605um, finishing at 875.05 um. Furthermore, upon calculating the growth rate (initial length-final length)/ (2x20hrs), the control had a growth rate of 0.8772 um/hr, whereas the conditioned medium had a much larger rate of 2.94 um/hr. This indicates that the conditioned medium led to a much faster healing process. Identical trials are in progress (and will be fully completed at time of conference) to further verify these results.
The data suggests that the conditioned medium played a significant role in speeding up the healing process for a wound compared to the control medium. Further research on the long-term impacts of conditioned medium on wound healing is recommended in the future.

Acknowledgements (Optional): Dr. Shue Wang, University of New Haven
Justin Caron, University of New Haven
Madison Marino, University of New Haven
Kahlea Hsu, University of New Haven

References (Optional): 2022, “Role of fibroblasts in wound healing and tissue remodeling on Earth and in space”, Francesca Cialdai, Chiara Risaliti, and Monica Monici