Nesfatin-1 improves oxidative skin injury in normoglycemic or hyperglycemic rats

Hyperglycemia is one of the major causes of suppressed angiogenesis and impaired wound healing leading to chronic wounds. Nesfatin-1 a novel peptide was reported to have antioxidant and anti-apoptotic properties. This study is aimed to investigate the potential healing-promoting effects of nesfatin-1 in non-diabetic or diabetic rats with surgical wounds. In male Sprague-Dawley rats, hyperglycemia was induced by intraperitoneal (ip) injection of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg). Under anesthesia, dorsum skin tissues of normoglycemic (n = 16) and hyperglycemic rats were excised (2 × 2 cm, full-thickness), while control rats (n = 16) had neither hyperglycemia nor wounds. Half of the rats in each group were treated ip with saline, while the others were treated with nesfatin-1 (2 μg/kg/day) for 3 days until they were decapitated. Plasma interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β-1), IL–6 levels, and dermal tissue malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) levels, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and caspase-3 activity were measured. For histological examination, paraffin sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin or Masson’s trichrome and immunohistochemistry for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was applied. ANOVA and Student’s t-tests were used for statistical analysis. Compared to control rats, skin MPO activity, MDA and caspase-3 levels were increased similarly in saline-treated normo- and hyperglycemic rats. Nesfatin-1 depressed MDA, caspase-3, MPO activity and IL-1β with concomitant elevations in dermal GSH and plasma TGF-β-1 levels. Histopathological examination revealed regeneration of epidermis, regular arrangement of collagen fibers in the dermis and a decrease in VEGF immunoreactivity in the epidermal keratinocytes of nesfatin-1-treated groups. Nesfatin-1 improved surgical wound healing in both normo- and hyperglycemic rats via the suppression of neutrophil recruitment, apoptosis and VEGF activation.