A Murine Tail Lymphedema Model

Lymphedema is extremity swelling caused by lymphatic dysfunction. The affected limb enlarges because of accumulation of fluid, adipose, and fibrosis. ...

Indiana University-Indianapolis

Indiana University School of Medicine

The objective of this work was to causatively link biofilm properties of bacterial infection to specific pathogenic mechanisms in wound healing.

Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm Infection Compromises Wound Healing by Causing Deficiencies in Granulation Tissue Collagen.

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and wound vascularization are two critical interrelated processes that enable cutaneous wound healing. Zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1), primarily studied in the context of tumor biology, is a potent EMT activator. ZEB1 is also known to contribute to endothelial cell survival as well as stimulate tumor angiogenesis. The role of ZEB1 in cutaneous wounds was assessed using Zeb1 mice, as Zeb1 mice are not viable. Quantitative stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) proteomics was used to elucidate the effect of elevated ZEB1, as noted during hyperglycemia. Under different glycemic conditions, ZEB1 binding to E-cadherin promoter was investigated using chromatin immunoprecipitation. Cutaneous wounding resulted in loss of epithelial marker E-cadherin with concomitant gain of ZEB1. The dominant proteins downregulated after ZEB1 overexpression functionally represented adherens junction pathway. Zeb1 mice exhibited compromised wound closure complicated by defective EMT and poor wound angiogenesis. Under hyperglycemic conditions, ZEB1 lost its ability to bind E-cadherin promoter. Keratinocyte E-cadherin, thus upregulated, resisted EMT required for wound healing. Diabetic wound healing was improved in ZEB as well as in  mice subjected to ZEB1 knockdown. This work recognizes ZEB1 as a key regulator of cutaneous wound healing that is of particular relevance to diabetic wound complication.

Cutaneous Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition Activator ZEB1 Regulates Wound Angiogenesis and Closure in a Glycemic Status-Dependent Manner.

Non-invasive, repeated interrogation of the same wound is necessary to understand the tissue repair continuum. In this work, we sought to test the significance of non-invasive high-frequency high-resolution ultrasound technology for such interrogation. High-frequency high-resolution ultrasound imaging was employed to investigate wound healing under fetal and adult conditions. Quantitative tissue cellularity and elastic strain was obtained for visualization of unresolved inflammation using Vevo strain software. Hemodynamic properties of the blood flow in the artery supplying the wound-site were studied using color Doppler flow imaging. Non-invasive monitoring of fetal and adult wound healing provided unprecedented biomechanical and functional insight. Fetal wounds showed highly accelerated closure with transient perturbation of wound tissue cellularity. Fetal hemodynamics was unique in that sharp fall in arterial pulse pressure (APP) which was rapidly restored within 48h post-wounding. In adults, APP transiently increased post-wounding before returning to the pre-wounding levels by d10 post-wounding. The pattern of change in the elasticity of wound-edge tissue of diabetics was strikingly different. Severe strain acquired during the early inflammatory phase persisted with a slower recovery of elasticity compared to that of the non-diabetic group. Wound bed of adult diabetic mice (db/db) showed persistent hypercellularity compared to littermate controls (db/+) indicative of prolonged inflammation. Normal skin strain of db/+ and db/db were asynchronous. In db/db, severe strain acquired during the early inflammatory phase persisted with a slower recovery of elasticity compared to that of non-diabetics. This study showcases a versatile clinically relevant imaging platform suitable for real-time analyses of functional wound healing.

High resolution ultrasound imaging for repeated measure of wound tissue morphometry, biomechanics and hemodynamics under fetal, adult and diabetic conditions.

Mithun Sinha

Department of Surgery,
Indiana Center for Regenerative Medicine and Engineering,
Department of Surgery, Indiana Center for Regenerative Medicine and Engineering

Indiana University-Indianapolis

A Murine Tail Lymphedema Model

Mithun Sinha

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Department of Surgery,Indiana Center for Regenerative Medicine and Engineering,Department of Surgery, Indiana Center for Regenerative Medicine and Engineering

Indiana University-Indianapolis

A Murine Tail Lymphedema Model

Department of Surgery,
Indiana Center for Regenerative Medicine and Engineering,
Department of Surgery, Indiana Center for Regenerative Medicine and Engineering