Enhancing Wound Closure via DICER1-Modified Keratinocytes and Peptide Nanocarriers
Summary: A study in ACS Omega explores how overexpressing **DICER1**, a gene downregulated in stalled diabetic wounds, improves wound healing in vitro. Researchers used both standard transfection (Lipofectamine 2000) and a novel peptide-based nanocarrier (M9-DICER1-CS-A) to deliver DICER1 into HaCaT keratinocyte cells. The M9 nanocarrier had lower toxicity and comparable healing effects. Embedded in a hydrogel scaffold, engineered cells showed sustained viability and proliferation, hinting at therapeutic potential for chronic wound care.
Key Highlights:
- Overexpression of DICER1 in HaCaT cells speeds up wound closure in scratch assays at 24 h and 48 h, with increased expression of pro-healing genes.
- M9-DICER1-CS-A nanocarrier (~200 nm size, ~0.25 polydispersity index, positive surface charge ~18–20 mV) offers better cell viability than Lipofectamine while maintaining effective DICER1 delivery.
- When the engineered keratinocytes are embedded in a polysaccharide-based functional hydrogel, they maintain viability and proliferation over time, showing promise for scaffold-based applications.
- Transcript levels for wound healing genes increase with both delivery methods; suggests both proliferation and migration pathways are activated.
Read the full article in ACS Omega
Keywords:
DICER1,
peptide nanocarrier,
HaCaT keratinocytes,
hydrogel scaffold,
wound healing genes,
ACS Omega