Mealworm Oil (MWO) Enhances Wound Healing Potential through the Activation of Fibroblast and Endothelial Cells.
Joung-Hee KimEun-Yeong KimKyu Jin ChungJung-Hee LeeHee-Jung ChoiTae-Wook ChungKeuk-Jun KimPublished in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (2021)
Mealworm and mealworm oil (MWO) have been reported to affect antioxidant, anti-coagulation, anti-adipogenic and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the function of MWO in wound healing is still unclear. In this study, we found that MWO induced the migration of fibroblast cells and mRNA expressions of wound healing factors such as alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen-1 (COL-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in fibroblast cells. The tube formation and migration of endothelial cells were promoted through the activation of VEGF/VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2)-mediated downstream signals including AKT, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 by MWO-stimulated fibroblasts for angiogenesis. Moreover, we confirmed that MWO promoted skin wound repair by collagen synthesis, re-epithelialization and angiogenesis in an in vivo excisional wound model. These results demonstrate that MWO might have potential as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of skin wounds.
Keyphrases
- wound healing
- vascular endothelial growth factor
- endothelial cells
- high glucose
- induced apoptosis
- smooth muscle
- anti inflammatory
- signaling pathway
- cell cycle arrest
- cell proliferation
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- oxidative stress
- transcription factor
- cell death
- binding protein
- combination therapy
- human health
- protein kinase
- tyrosine kinase
- soft tissue