Morphogen and proinflammatory cytokine release kinetics from PRGF-Endoret fibrin scaffolds: Evaluation of the effect of leukocyte inclusion

The potential influence of leukocyte incorporation in the kinetic release of growth factors from platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) may explain the conflicting efficiency of leukocyte platelet‐rich plasma (L‐PRP) scaffolds in tissue regeneration. To assess this hypothesis, leukocyte‐free (PRGF‐Endoret) and L‐PRP fibrin scaffolds were prepared, and both morphogen and proinflammatory cytokine release kinetics were analyzed. Clots were incubated with culture medium to monitor protein release over 8 days. Furthermore, the different fibrin scaffolds were morphologically characterized. Results show that leukocyte‐free fibrin matrices were homogenous while leukocyte‐containing ones were heterogeneous, loose and cellular. Leukocyte incorporation produced a significant increase in the contents of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)‐1β and IL‐16 but not in the platelet‐derived growth factors release (