Diabetic Wound Vasculopathy and Neuropathy: Spotlight on Wound Lipid Signaling

Skin lipids are essential for various skin functions including maintaining barrier integrity, regulating hydration, and providing protection against microbes and inflammatory irritants. Along with skin health, the role of lipids in the etiology of macroangiopathic diseases, such as atherosclerosis of arteries, is well recognized.

In diabetes, lipid dysregulation is evident and may contribute to the diverse complications of the disease. Diabetic vasculopathy primarily reflects the dysfunction and deterioration of existing blood vessels, as their preservation is key in preventing the progression of vascular disease and reducing the need for compensatory angiogenesis. In the peripheral diabetic skin of the limbs, diabetic vasculopathy runs alongside peripheral neuropathy. Although a causative link between the two is plausible, direct evidence in support of such claim is scanty.

Diabetic skin is known to be compromised in many ways, including weakened barrier functionality and diabetes-induced alterations in the extracellular matrix, likely stemming from chronic inflammation, which may directly affect vascular integrity and nerve health. Both, in the compromised skin and within wounds, microbial pathogens and their enzymes may metabolize host lipids, driving inflammatory reactions and exacerbating the pathogenesis of diabetic vasculopathy and related neuropathy.

This review focuses on lipid mediators such as sphingolipids, resolvins, oxidized low-density lipoproteins and their specific downstream signaling pathways to obtain a comprehensive understanding of diabetic complications relevant to wound healing. Through lipid-based strategies, this review hopes to inspire the development and utilization of individualized, precision-based approaches to manage diabetic vasculopathy and neuropathy.