Relaxin Improves Multiple Markers of Wound Healing and Ameliorates the Disturbed Healing Pattern of the Genetically Diabetic Mice.

Diabetic mice are characterized by a disrupted expression pattern of vascular-endothelial-growth-factor (VEGF), and impaired vasculogenesis during healing. Experimental evidence suggest that relaxin (RLX) can improve several parameters associated with wound healing. Therefore, we investigated the effects of porcine derived relaxin in diabetes-related wound healing defects in genetically diabetic mice. An incisional wound model was produced on the back of female diabetic C57BL/KsJ-m+/+Leptdb (db+/db+) mice and their normal littermates (db+/+m). Animals were treated daily with porcine RLX (25µg mouse/day/s.c.) or its vehicle. Mice were killed on 3, 6 and 12 days after skin injury for measurements of VEGF mRNA and protein synthesis, stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) mRNA and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression. Furthermore, we evaluated wound-breaking strength, histological changes, angiogenesis and vasculogenesis at day 12. Diabetic animals showed a reduced expression of VEGF, eNOS and SDF-1α compared to nondiabetic animals. At day 6, RLX administration resulted in an increase in VEGF mRNA expression and protein wound content, in eNOS expression and in SDF-1α mRNA. Furthermore the histological evaluation indicated that RLX improved the impaired wound healing, enhanced the staining of matrix metalloproteinase-11 (MMP-11) and increased wound breaking strength at day 12 in diabet...
Source: Clinical Science - Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Source Type: research