Kübra Tuğtekin*
İstanbul Cerrahpaşa University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Biology
tugtekin.kubra [at] hotmail.com
Abstract
Comparative analysis of the in vitro wound healing potential of larval secretions of Lucilia sericata under different torage conditions content.
The study evaluated the effects of various storage temperatures and durations on the bioavailability and in vitro wound healing potential of secretions derived from first-stage Lucilia sericata larvae. To address the logistical limitations of using fresh secretions, the research aimed to determine optimal storage conditions suitable for clinical applications. Larval secretions were maintained at +4 °C, −20 °C, and room temperature for durations of 24 and 48 hours. In vitro wound healing activity was assessed using a scratch assay performed on the 3T3 murine fibroblast cell line. Cell migration and wound closure rates were quantified through pixel-based numerical analysis using ImageJ software. Statistical differences between the negative control, fresh secretion (positive control), and experimental groups were evaluated via the Kruskal-Wallis test across 24, 48, and 72-hour intervals. The results demonstrated that secretions stored at −20 °C for 48 hours exhibited significantly higher efficacy in wound closure compared to those kept at +4 °C or room temperature. Notably, storage at −20 °C for 48 hours showed higher biological activity than storage at the same temperature for 24 hours. The findings indicated that L. sericata secretions retained their biological effectiveness under controlled conditions, with the −20 °C for 48 hours protocol yielding the highest functional impact. The study suggested that cold chain optimization could reduce dependency on fresh secretions, enabling more sustainable, standardized, and clinically accessible secretion-based therapeutic strategies in maggot debridement therapy.
Keywords: Cell Scratch Assay, fibroblast migration
Acknowledgement: The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. İlhan Onaran for his guidance and supervision throughout this study. We are deeply grateful to Prof. Dr. Erdal Polat for providing the Lucilia sericata secretions and laboratory facilities, and to Prof. Dr. Fahri Akbaş for granting access to the cell culture laboratory infrastructure. Special thanks are extended to Asst. Prof. Dr. Alime Sarıkaya for her invaluable academic and technical support during the experimental procedures. Furthermore, we would like to acknowledge the Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa GETAT team and the Institute of Graduate Studies for their institutional contributions to this research.