Effects of peptides derived from active sites of visfatin on wound healing

Severe wounds (e.g., burns) often result in irreversible scarring, leading to cosmetic and functional impairments as well as secondary complications such as reduced skin strength and itching. In the case of chronic wounds and diabetic ulcers, impaired healing capacity is the primary clinical concern, not scarring. These wounds frequently fail to heal, presenting a therapeutic challenge. Despite ongoing research, the development of scarless, cost-effective, and clinically viable therapies for these complex wounds remains a significant challenge. Angiogenesis plays a crucial role in skin wound healing. Visfatin has been known to have angiogenic and wound healing effects. In our previous study, we derived two angiogenic peptides (Vis-1 and Vis-2) from the active site of visfatin. Therefore, this study is aimed to investigate the wound healing potential of these two peptides using a scratch assay system (in vitro) and full-thickness excision wound healing mice (in vivo). Only Vis-1 peptide had a significant wound healing effect in the in vitro assay by promoting proliferation and migration of keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts, possibly through activation of Wnt/β-Catenin and MAPK signaling pathway. Vis-1 peptide also showed remarkable wound healing effects in the in vivo assay by accelerating wound healing, inducing angiogenesis, promoting neo-epithelium, decreasing granulation tissue, and increasing collagen fiber formation. These results suggest that the Vis-1 peptide has a potent wound healing activity and may contribute as a novel wound healing agent.