Biomimetic Materials for the Regeneration of Extracellular Matrix in Biological Soft Tissues

The extensibility and elasticity of biological soft tissues such as skins, tendons, and ligaments are attributable to the quality and quantity of elastin fibers. Elastin is a representative biological polymeric fiber in the extracellular matrix of the soft tissues. The pure molecular solution of elastin is hardly extracted due to its insolubility. From this reason, many basic characteristics of elastin have not been fully elucidated not only in the area of biochemistry and molecular biology but also in that of biomechanics. The purpose of the present study was to develop biomimetic materials which include elastin ingredients for the maintenance and improvement of the skin extensibility during the wound healing. We formed the elastin-based materials whose elastic moduli were similar with those of skins. These materials were integrated with healing tissues of skin damage. These results indicate that the biomimetic materials containing elastin ingredients are useful for regenerative medicine to effectively repair skin damage.