Protocol to Create Chronic Wounds in Diabetic Mice - an Update to the Published Protocol

Area of Science:

• Wound Healing Research
• Animal Models of Disease
• Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Chronic wound treatment remains challenging due to poorly understood healing disruptions.
• Existing animal models inadequately replicate human chronic wound conditions.
• A previously developed mouse model mimics human diabetic chronic wounds, including natural biofilm formation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an updated protocol for a chronic wound mouse model with reduced mortality.
• To detail the application of this model in understanding wound chronicity using advanced techniques.
• To demonstrate the model's utility in evaluating treatment efficacy.

Main Methods:

• Refinement of an existing mouse model for chronic wound research.
• Implementation of next-generation transcriptomic analyses for cellular and molecular insights.
• Investigation of bacterial dynamics, including infection and biofilm development.
• Assessment of treatment efficacy, including small molecule interventions.

Main Results:

• Mortality in the mouse model significantly reduced from approximately 30% to 5%.
• The model facilitates the study of wound chronicity initiation and progression.
• Transcriptomic and bacterial analyses provide insights into chronic wound pathophysiology.
• The model is validated as the only existing chronic wound model that fails to heal without intervention.

Conclusions:

• The updated mouse model offers a more viable and informative platform for chronic wound research.
• This model advances the understanding of the cellular, molecular, and microbial factors in chronic wound development.
• It serves as a crucial tool for preclinical testing of novel therapeutic strategies for non-healing wounds.