Abstract
Angiogenesis underpins regenerative success and refined autologous platelet concentrates (APCs) are therefore under continual optimization. This study compared optimized thermally-induced albumin hydrogel cross-linked with horizontally centrifuged platelet-rich fibrin (Alb-PRF) against traditional platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and standardized horizontal PRF (H-PRF). Alb-PRF was generated using specific centrifugation protocols. Each APC was co-cultured with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) respectively. Live/dead assay confirmed universal biocompatibility and safety, showing no significant differences in apoptosis among all groups. Additoinally, viability assay revealed possibly superior proliferation by Alb-PRF compared to PRP and H-PRF. Immunofluorescent cytoskeleton and morphology staining showed enhanced proliferative effects with Alb-PRF. Moreover, Alb-PRF significantly increased cell migration. Notably, LPS-induced inflammatory damage led to more apoptotic HUVECs in PRP and H-PRF groups, whereas Alb-PRF rescued this damage. Alb-PRF conferred cytoprotection and upregulated expression of CD31, suggesting an augmented vascular regeneration capacity. Altogether, Alb-PRF outperformed PRP and H-PRF in driving angiogenic potential under both normal and inflammatory conditions. Our findings underscore the translational promise of Alb-PRF, particularly as an innovative solution for wound healing in regenerative medicine.
Data availability
The datasets used or analyzed in this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Funding
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82401137 and 82400256), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2024M762494) and Postdoctoral Innovation Project of Hubei Province (Grant No. 2024HBBHCXB062). The generation of APCs was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China grant number 82401137.
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F.S. and J.C. contributed equally to this work. J.C. and M.S. concepted and designed this study; M.S., J.C. and M.W. performed the experiments; M.W., and X.Q. analyzed the data; M.S. and F. S. wrote the original manuscript; F. S. and M.S. supervised and edited the initial draft; M.S. and J.C. provided the funding support. All authors participated in drafting the paper and had ultimate approval of the submitted and published versions.
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Shen, F., Chai, J., Wei, M. et al. Next-generation platelet concentrate: Alb-PRF outperformed PRP and H-PRF in promoting endothelial function and wound healing. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-44659-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-44659-2
