Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42354780›Full record

ArticleMicromachines2026

Redox-Responsive GHK-Conjugated Sponge Spicules for Sustained Dermal Delivery and Enhanced Collagen Synthesis.

Won-Kyu Hong, Patrick Po-Han Huang, Diane Duncan, Rocha Marco, Ho-Sung Choi, Young-Wook Jo

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Micromachines, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Won-Kyu HongDepartment of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0009-0009-4070-9798
Patrick Po-Han HuangSurgery and Aesthetics, Huang PH Dermatology, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0003-0328-8284
Diane DuncanDepartment of Surgery, University of Colorado Health, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
Rocha MarcoDepartamento de Dermatologia, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo 04039-001, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0003-1090-177X
Ho-Sung ChoiDepartment of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0000-0001-8628-8233
Young-Wook JoDepartment of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0009-0006-5334-7675

Funding

SRbiotek FD2025- BIO-A01-L1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Sponge spicules have emerged as promising biomaterial scaffolds due to their biocompatibility and unique structural properties; however, achieving stable and bioactive functionalization remains a key challenge. The tripeptide GHK is known to promote collagen synthesis and wound repair, yet its therapeutic efficacy is often limited by rapid diffusion and instability. Here, we report ALTUM, a thiol-functionalized sponge spicule composite in which GHK is covalently conjugated via disulfide linkage to enable controlled and redox-responsive peptide delivery. ALTUM exhibited sustained GHK retention under physiological and storage conditions, while exposure to reduced glutathione (GSH) selectively accelerated peptide release through disulfide bond cleavage. This dual release behavior-long-term stability combined with reduction-triggered activation-distinguishes ALTUM from conventional delivery systems. The composite also demonstrated structural stability under thermal, cyclic, and photostability conditions. In an artificial human skin model, ALTUM enhanced dermal penetration of GHK and significantly increased collagen deposition in the dermal layer, demonstrating its capacity to promote collagen production within deeper skin tissue, compared to simple spicule-peptide mixtures. ALTUM was fabricated at an optimized spicule-to-peptide ratio of 3% (

Indexed as

ALTUMfunctionalized sponge spiculesGHK peptideredox-responsive release

Identifiers

PMID42354780
PMCPMC13302783

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.