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ICAM-1 deletion delays the repair process in aging diabetic mice
Dongxu Qiu1, David Nikita2, Lei Zhang1
1Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, PR China.
Background:
The delayed repair process in the aging diabetic population is becoming an alarming public health concern. ICAM-1 plays an important role in orchestrating the repair process by mediating neutrophil recruitment and phagocytosis. However, little is known about the role of ICAM-1 in aging diabetic repair.
Methods:
By causing injury in aging diabetic mice with ICAM-1 deletion (AD-ICAM-1-/-), we found that AD-ICAM-1-/- mice exhibited a delayed repair process with incomplete re-epithelialization and reduced angiogenesis. Additionally, high-throughput Illumina sequencing was performed to evaluate the microbiota of such mice.
Results:
The results indicate that the microbiota of the AD-ICAM-1-/- injury site differed taxonomically at both the phylum and genus levels. Neutrophil recruitment and phagocytic function were also reduced in the AD-ICAM-1-/- group. Notably, major inflammatory biomarker expression was also detected in AD-ICAM-1-/- injured tissue.
Conclusions:
Overall, this study demonstrated that AD-ICAM-1-/- mice exhibit delayed repair. In addition, neutrophil recruitment and phagocytic activity were impaired in the AD-ICAM-1-/- group, which may have allowed microbes to colonize the injury site.

