Tissue Granulation in Cutaneous Wound Healing is Improved by a Camel Milk Peptide in Streptozotocin-induced Diabetes in Rat Models

Abstract

Background: Diabetes alters keratinocyte proliferation and tissue granulation during wound healing, thereby delaying the healing process. Thus, we studied the correlation between keratinocyte proliferation and tissue granulation with healing stages and the impact of camel milk peptide (CMP). Methods: Rats were grouped into wounded normal, wounded diabetic and wounded diabetic with daily treatment of CMP at a dose of 100 mg/kg of body weight. One-way ANOVA and Tukey's method were used to compare the overall effects of each treatment. Result: Diabetes strikingly impaired Protein kinase B (Akt) and Alpha Smooth Muscle Actin (SMA-a) concentrations in the wounded tissues. Furthermore, the gene expression of KGF in wounded tissues was downregulated in diabetic rats. Conversely, CMP showed notable restoration of these parameters. Thus, granulation was enhanced compared with that in non-treated diabetic rats. In addition, the wound margin epithelia of CMP-diabetic rats showed an increase in both size and migration, with two epidermal tongues directed inward and clearly visible on both sides of the wound. However, diabetic rats showed increased extent of wound margin neoepithelia without clear epidermal tongues. These data confirmed the potential role of CMP in wound healing in diabetic rats.