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Prospective, Randomized, and Controlled Study of a Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell Injection for Treating Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Published on: March 3, 2023
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Single cell transcriptomic landscape of diabetic foot ulcers
Georgios Theocharidis1, Beena E Thomas2, Debasree Sarkar2
1The Rongxiang Xu, MD, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics and Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Nature Communications
|January 11, 2022
Summary
Diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) healing involves specific fibroblasts and M1 macrophages. These cells are found in wound beds of healing DFU patients, offering insights into improved wound repair strategies.
Area of Science:
- Cellular and Molecular Biology
- Diabetes Complications Research
- Wound Healing Mechanisms
Background:
- Diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) is a severe diabetes complication with unclear causes.
- Understanding the cellular microenvironment is crucial for DFU pathogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify key cell populations and molecular signatures associated with DFU healing.
- To investigate the spatial distribution of cells within the DFU microenvironment.
Main Methods:
- Single-cell RNA sequencing of 174,962 cells from DFU patients.
- Spatial transcriptomics to analyze cell localization.
- Analysis of fibroblasts and macrophages in healing vs. non-healing wounds.
Main Results:
- Enrichment of fibroblasts overexpressing MMP1, MMP3, MMP11, HIF1A, CHI3L1, TNFAIP6 in healing DFU.
- Increased M1 macrophage polarization in DFU patients with healing wounds.
- Healing-associated fibroblasts preferentially localize to the wound bed.
Conclusions:
- Identified unique fibroblast and macrophage populations critical for DFU healing.
- Spatial transcriptomics confirms M1 macrophages in healers and M2 in non-healers.
- Findings may guide novel therapeutic strategies for DFU treatment.
