Exogenous calreticulin improves diabetic wound healing

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Dermatology and Wound Healing
• Endocrinology and Diabetes Research

Background:

• Diabetes mellitus is associated with impaired wound healing, a significant clinical challenge.
• Calreticulin (CRT), an endoplasmic reticulum chaperone, has demonstrated wound healing enhancement in previous studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of topical calreticulin (CRT) in accelerating wound closure in a diabetic mouse model.
• To investigate the in vitro effects of CRT on diabetic and hyperglycemic human cells involved in wound repair.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a full-thickness excisional wound healing model in genetically engineered diabetic (db/db) mice.
• Topically applied CRT to wounds and compared healing rates with untreated controls.
• Conducted in vitro studies on diabetic mouse fibroblasts and human fibroblasts under hyperglycemic conditions.

Main Results:

• Topical CRT significantly reduced wound closure time by 5.6 days in diabetic mice (17.6 vs. 23.2 days).
• CRT increased reepithelialization rates and granulation tissue formation, and promoted hair follicle regrowth.
• In vitro, CRT enhanced proliferation and migration of diabetic/hyperglycemic fibroblasts.

Conclusions:

• Topical calreticulin (CRT) demonstrates potent therapeutic potential for accelerating diabetic wound healing.
• CRT's mechanism involves enhancing fibroblast proliferation and migration, even under hyperglycemic conditions.
• CRT represents a promising topical agent for treating chronic wounds, particularly those associated with diabetes.