Effectiveness of autologous preparation rich in growth factors for the treatment of chronic cutaneous ulcers

Abstract

Autologous Preparation Rich in Growth Factors (PRGF), a small volume of plasma enriched in platelets, is a novel therapeutic strategy for the acceleration of the wound healing of a wide range of tissues because of the continuous release of multiple growth factors, including PDGF-AB, TGF-beta1, IGF-I, HGF, VEGF-A, and EGF. In this article, we have characterized the PRGF preparation and designed a randomized open-label controlled pilot trial to evaluate the effectiveness of PRGF in the treatment of chronic cutaneous ulcers. Results showed that at 8 weeks, the mean percentage of surface healed in the PRGF group was 72.94% +/- 22.25% whereas it was 21.48% +/- 33.56% in the control group (p < 0.05). These results, with the limitations of a pilot study, suggest that topical application of PRGF is more effective than standard therapy in helping a chronic ulcer to heal.