MiR-21 ameliorates age-associated skin wound healing defects in mice

The cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the age-associated delay of cutaneous wound healing are still not well understood. Previous studies have shown that miR-21 plays key roles during skin wound healing. We presumed that dysregulation of miR-21 may be involved in age-associated defects in wound healing and that miR-21 may be one potential therapeutic target by which to ameliorate wound defects in elderly subjects.

Circular full thickness excisional wounds were made on the dorsal skin of young (2-month-old) and aged (12-month-old) female mice. The wound healing rates were quantified and compared between wild-type and miR-21 knock-in mice. Both histologic and morphometric analyses of the wounds were evaluated. Furthermore, the expression patterns of miR-21 during wound healing in both young and aged mice were assessed by in situ hybridization. The effects of topical miR-21 overexpression on wound healing in aged mice were estimated by both wound closure quantification and histological analyses.

Aged miR-21 knock-in female mice showed significantly improved wound healing compared to their wild-type counterparts with respect to mature granulation tissue, smaller wound width and thinner epidermis. The expression patterns of miR-21 showed that miR-21 levels were insufficient for repairing granulation tissue in aged mice. Intradermal injection of miR-21 plasmid around wounds could upregulate miR-21 levels during wound healing and ameliorate age-associated skin wound defects.

The results of the present study reveal that the upregulation of miR-21 levels could improve wound repair in aged mice, which suggests that a therapeutic strategy targeting miR-21 expression in age-associated wound healing may be feasible.