TY - JOUR

T1 - E-cadherin and aquaporin-3 are downregulated in wound edges of human chronic wounds

AU - Ernstsen, Christina V.

AU - Riishede, Andreas

AU - Iversen, Anne Kristine S.

AU - Bay, Lene

AU - Bjarnsholt, Thomas

AU - Nejsum, Lene N.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. APMIS published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Scandinavian Societies for Pathology, Medical Microbiology and Immunology.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Chronic wounds are defined as wounds that fail to proceed through the normal phases of wound healing; a complex process involving different dynamic events including migration of keratinocytes in the epidermis. Chronic wounds are estimated to affect 1–2% of the human population worldwide and are a major socioeconomic burden. The prevalence of chronic wounds is expected to increase with the rising number of elderly and patients with diabetes and obesity, who are at high risk of developing chronic wounds. Since E-cadherin and the water channel aquaporin-3 are important for both skin function and cell migration, and aquaporin-3 is furthermore involved in wound healing of the skin demonstrated by impaired wound healing in aquaporin-3-null mice, we hypothesized that E-cadherin and aquaporin-3 expression may be dysregulated in chronic wounds. Therefore, we investigated the expression of E-cadherin and aquaporin-3 in biopsies from the edges of chronic wounds from human patients. This was accomplished by immunohistochemical stainings of E-cadherin and aquaporin-3 on serial sections followed by qualitative evaluation of staining patterns, which revealed low expression of both E-cadherin and aquaporin-3 at the wound edge. Future studies are needed to reveal if this downregulation is associated with the pathophysiology of chronic wounds.

AB - Chronic wounds are defined as wounds that fail to proceed through the normal phases of wound healing; a complex process involving different dynamic events including migration of keratinocytes in the epidermis. Chronic wounds are estimated to affect 1–2% of the human population worldwide and are a major socioeconomic burden. The prevalence of chronic wounds is expected to increase with the rising number of elderly and patients with diabetes and obesity, who are at high risk of developing chronic wounds. Since E-cadherin and the water channel aquaporin-3 are important for both skin function and cell migration, and aquaporin-3 is furthermore involved in wound healing of the skin demonstrated by impaired wound healing in aquaporin-3-null mice, we hypothesized that E-cadherin and aquaporin-3 expression may be dysregulated in chronic wounds. Therefore, we investigated the expression of E-cadherin and aquaporin-3 in biopsies from the edges of chronic wounds from human patients. This was accomplished by immunohistochemical stainings of E-cadherin and aquaporin-3 on serial sections followed by qualitative evaluation of staining patterns, which revealed low expression of both E-cadherin and aquaporin-3 at the wound edge. Future studies are needed to reveal if this downregulation is associated with the pathophysiology of chronic wounds.

KW - Aquaporin-3

KW - cell migration

KW - chronic wounds

KW - E-cadherin

KW - skin

U2 - 10.1111/apm.13332

DO - 10.1111/apm.13332

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 37267058

AN - SCOPUS:85160831546

VL - 131

SP - 403

EP - 409

JO - A P M I S. Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica et Immunologica Scandinavica

JF - A P M I S. Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica et Immunologica Scandinavica

SN - 0903-4641

IS - 8

ER -