A new way to activate "hidden" mechanisms in the body to heal diabetic wounds

Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine are looking for a way to heal wounds with a protein that is active in fetuses but largely inactive in adults and is not present
in adults with diabetes.

"We've known from previous studies at other institutions that if the fetus is injured, it can regenerate tissue, or repair it like new," says
Dr.
Chandan K.
Sen.
"But after birth, this regenerative wound healing ability is lost
.
" Healing in adults is relatively inefficient and is often associated with
poor scarring.
”

In the study, recently published in Molecular Therapy, the team focused on a protein
called non-selenocysteine-containing phospholipid hydrogen peroxide glutathione peroxidase (NPGPx).
NPGPx is active in fetal tissue, but mostly inactive
in the skin after birth.

Sen said: "Nature essentially hides this fetal regenerative repair pathway in the adult body
.
We found its absence and then activated it to promote the healing
of diabetic wounds.
”

The researchers used tissue nanotransfection technology developed by ICRME to deliver the NPGPx gene to the wound site
.
Diabetic wounds are complex skin lesions in people with diabetes that are particularly difficult to treat and often lead to amputations or other complications because they are susceptible to infection
.

Sen said: "This is an exciting new way to use fetal repair mechanisms to close the diabetic wound
of a synthetic person.
The findings suggest that while NPGPx is known to be abundant in fetal skin but not after birth, it can be reactivated
in skin after injury.
We look forward to continued research to achieve a more complete regenerative repair
by improving our understanding of NPGPx function.
" ”