Curcumin promotes burn wound healing in mice by upregulating caveolin-1 in epidermal stem cells

We aimed to explore the effect of curcumin on epidermal stem cells (ESCs) in regulating wound healing and the underlying molecular mechanism. We treated mouse ESCs isolated from skin tissues with curcumin, and then assessed the proliferation ability of cells induced by epidermal growth factor using cell counting kit-8 assay. The pluripotency of ESCs was evaluated as well through examination of Nanog expression in ESCs. Further, mice with skin burns were treated with ESCs with or without curcumin pretreatments. Histological evaluations were then preformed to determine wound scores, cell proliferation, reepithelialization, and capillary density in wounds. Curcumin treatment promoted the proliferative ability of ESCs and conditioned medium from curcumin-treated ESCs enhanced human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) tube formation. We also found curcumin treatment elevated caveolin-1 expression in ESCs, which was required for the beneficial effect of curcumin on ESC proliferation and HUVEC tube formation. Next, using a mouse model of burn wound healing, curcumin-treated ESCs exhibited enhanced wound closure, which also required caveolin-1 expression. Our current study demonstrates the beneficial effect of curcumin on burn wound healing in mice, which is mediated by upregulating caveolin-1 in ESCs, and supports the potential therapeutic role of curcumin in ESC-based treatment against skin wound healing.