Effect of Hepatocyte Growth Factor on Gene Expression of Extracellular Matrix During Wound Healing of the Injured Rat Vocal Fold

Objectives: We performed a prospective, sham-controlled animal study to investigate the effects of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) manipulation of the extracellular matrix on vocal fold gene expression during acute injury. Methods: Bilateral vocal fold wounds were created in 40 rats. The rats were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups (sham treatment or HGF treatment) and received treatment of the injured area at the time of wounding and on alternate post-treatment days. The injured vocal fold specimens were harvested on post-treatment days 1, 3, 7, and 14. We used real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to quantify messenger RNA expression of transforming growth fac-tor (TGF)–β1, procollagen types I and III, hyaluronan synthase (HAS)–1, HAS-2, and HAS-3. Results: A multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant interaction between treatment group and post-treat-ment day for TGF-β1, procollagen type I, procollagen type III, and HAS-2. Post hoc testing revealed significantly lower expression of procollagen type III and significantly higher expression of HAS-2 on post-treatment day 14 in the HGF treatment group than in the sham treatment group. Conclusions: Results provide evidence of HGF treatment effects on procollagen type III and HAS-2 gene expression pathways. Key Words: extracellular matrix, hepatocyte growth factor, hyaluronan synthase, procollagen, transforming growth fac-tor–β1, vocal fold wound healing