Topical Agonist of Fatty Acids Receptors Improves Wound Healing in Diabetic Mice

Introduction: Fatty acids play an essential role in the mediation of inflammation. Recently, their mechanisms have been described as being associated with the activation of GPR-coupled receptors, more specific GPR 120 and GPR 40. Activation of these receptors by a selective agonist (GW9508) can decrease the inflammatory process that occurs in excess in chronic wounds and thus accelerate the healing of wounds.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of topical treatment with the GPR 120/40 agonist on wound healing in diabetic animals.

Materials and Methods: C57/BL6J male mice induced by low doses of streptozotocin (40 mg/kg for 5 days) were randomly divided into 2 groups: treated with GW9508 (GW) and vehicle (V) gel. Afterwards, 2 wounds were prepared using a 6-mm punch in the dorsal area of the animal. Wounds were photographed daily and evaluated using ImageJ software. Tissues were collected on days 7, 10, and 14 post injury and analyzed by histology and real-time PCR. The level of significance was set at P < .05.

Results: In the macroscopic evaluation, the GW group presented significantly faster healing when compared with the V group. In the microscopic evaluation, the GW group showed better reepithelialization and smaller inflammatory infiltrate. There was also a decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines at the beginning of wound healing and an increase in the anti-inflammatory cytokines at the end of this period.

Conclusions: The authors conclude that the GPR120/40 agonist gel can improve the healing process in diabetic animals, possibly due to the reduction of the inflammatory process in the first days.