Cell growth promotion of human skin fibroblasts by dermatan sulfate released into wounds following injury remains uncertain. The aim of the present study is to elucidate the growth enhancement and differential production of various kinds of cell growth factors of human dermal diploid fibreblasts HSF-T2 by exogeous dermatan sulfate in cell culture.

　We investigated the effects of exogenous dermatan sulfate addition upon cell proliferation and the synthesis of growth factors by HSF-T2 cells. The HSF-T2 cells proliferated up to 6-fold higher ratio compared with HSF-T2 cells alone in dose response manner to dermatan sulfate concentrations ranged from 5 to 50 mg/ml. Furthermore, we examined the same experiment in the case of dermatan sulfate concentrations present in wound fluid from 5 to 80μg/ml, it enhanced the proliferation of HSF-T2 having about 2.5-fold ratio compared with control.

　 We measured cell growth factors, such as HGF, bFGF, TGF-β1, VEGF, and PDGF-AA, in conditioned medium produced by HSF-T2 cells with dermatan sulfate. Much or/and slightly higher growth factor values were obtained in coculture with HSF-T2 and dermatan sulfate than in single cultures of HSF-T2. Moreover, the cocentration of HGF in conditioned medium produced by HSF-T2 was highest than the other factors. On the　other hand, EGF and PDGF-AA could not detected in cultured medium in tested and control group.

　 Our results indicate that dermatan sulfate released during wound repair are a potent mediator or director of fibroblast growth and that provide the first suggestive evidence of mechanism of wound healing.