The matricellular protein decorin delivered intradermally with coacervate improves wound

resolution in the CXCR3-deficient mouse model of hypertrophic scarring

 

Kyle Sylakowski PhD,Mintai Peter Hwang PhD,Amritha Justin BA,Diana Whaley MS,Yadong Wang PhD,Alan Wells MD DMSc

 

Cutaneous wound healing is an intricate orchestration of three overlapping phases of repair that encompass numerous cell types, signalling cascades, and microenvironment modifications to reach a successful resolution. Disruption of any of these steps will create an abnormal healing response resulting in either ulceration or excessive scarring. It has become evident that the extracellular matrix and its associated components are key orchestrators during this process. One of these essential matrix proteins is decorin, a small leucine-rich proteoglycan (SLRP) that acts as a regulator of collagen fibrillogenesis and a non-competitive inhibitor of multiple growth factors signalling cascades. Decorin is a necessary shut-off switch for the pro-reparative mechanism of the tissue replacement phase and limits the occurrence of hypertrophic scarring by preventing excessive repair … read more