Promoting successful healing of artificial trachea by intratracheal administration of basic fibroblast growth factor†.

This article investigates the effect of intratracheal administration of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on tracheal healing after implantation of a novel layered polyglycolic acid (PGA) material in a rat model with a critical-size tracheal defect. The study found that administering an optimal dose of 6.25 µg bFGF significantly enhanced tracheal epithelial regeneration, increasing the area of regenerated cilia, ciliary beat frequency (CBF), and ciliary transport function (CTF) compared to distilled water controls. Higher doses (12.5 and 25 µg) induced adverse effects such as tracheal granulation and pulmonary hyperplasia. These results suggest that appropriately dosed intratracheal bFGF can promote morphological and functional tracheal healing following artificial trachea implantation, though further research is needed to assess long-term outcomes and applicability to humans.