Burns and injuries without scars and scars

Infox 

Bioengineers led by specialists from the Johns Hopkins University Medical School (USA) have discovered a receptor that not only helps heal wounds, but also gives the skin an aesthetic appearance after healing, reports Infox.ru .

The authors studied two groups of mice: in one group, the healing process occurred quickly, and in the other – slowly.

A comparison of gene expression in two groups of animals, which occurred in the area of the wound itself, showed that the so-called toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) is actively involved in the regeneration process. It triggers the work of two genes – IL6 and STAT3, which are involved in the healing process.

As the authors calculated, in animals that had a happy ability to heal wounds quickly, the expression of a toll-like receptor was three times higher compared to those animals whose wounds healed slowly.

Then the researchers decided to also look at how TLR3 works in healthy human skin and in areas with scars after burns. As it turned out, here it also plays an important role in healing.

"Our study shows that the wound healing process can be controlled, that this process can be accelerated," says the lead author of the study, associate Professor Luis Garza.

In the next stage of the experiment, scientists found out that TLR3 triggers the work of another gene in mice – EDAR, which is involved in the formation of hair follicles. Moreover, double-stranded RNA was also included in the formation of follicles.

Diagram from the article in Cell Stem Cell – VM.

As the authors add, follicles play an important role in the work of the skin: blood vessels, nerve endings and stem cells are attached to them.

"Few people know, but hair follicles are located all over the body, and not just in those places where there is hair. For example, if you look at your face, you will see pores, these are the pores for tiny follicles. In general, due to the presence of follicles, human skin looks exactly like this. Therefore, when restoring the skin after injuries and burns, it is very important to restore the follicles. Otherwise, the skin looks unaesthetic," says Garza (in a press release from Johns Hopkins Medicine: Researchers Identify Drug Candidate for Skin, Hair Regeneration Among Scarred Victims of Burns and Trauma – VM).

Now scientists are working on finding a substance that could activate TLR3 and speed up not only the wound healing process, but also trigger the formation of follicles.

However, as the authors themselves add, even if this substance can be found in the near future, it is still very far from the introduction of new drugs based on the action of TLR3 into clinical practice.

An article describing the methods of skin restoration can be read in the latest issue of the prestigious journal Cell Stem Cell:
Nelson et al., dsRNA Released by Tissue Damage Activates TLR3 to Drive Skin Regeneration.

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10.08.2015