Keratinocyte migration is essential for wound repair. Keratin-based products have recently shown stimulatory effects on wound repair. This study was to test the cellular response to wool-derived oxidized keratin in wound healing to further understand the biological mechanisms underlying observed clinical benefits of keratin-based products as wound treatments. In vitro scratch migration assays examined the effects of oxidized keratin on the migration of human skin keratinocytes. Western blotting analysis determined the effects on the marker protein expression of type IV and type VII collagens and keratin 17. We found wool-derived oxidized keratin promoted keratinocyte migration and induced protein expression of type IV and type VII collagens, but not keratin 17. The data suggest that the beneficial effects of keratin-based treatment in wounds may be related to its positive effects on re-epithelialization via stimulating keratinocyte migration and production of basement membrane proteins of types IV and VII collagens.

Additional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of this article: Figure S1. Inhibition of E6 and E7 expressions by inducible shRNA technique alters p53 and pRb protein levels. Figure S2. Characterization of the effects of viral E6 and E7 gene inhibition on cell proliferation.Data S1. Materials and methods. Abstract: A porcine deep partial-thickness wound model was used to evaluate the effects of a newly developed topical aqueous oxygen emulsion (TOE) on wound repair. The wounds were treated with TOE, which contains super-saturated oxygen or vehicle control. Semiquantitative immunofluorescent staining was performed to examine protein production for type I and type III collagen and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Immunofluorescent staining revealed higher protein levels of type I and type III collagen and VEGF in the TOE treatment group. Histological analysis also revealed improved angiogenesis and granulation tissue formation with topical TOE treatment and was consistent with the protein expression. In addition, the histology examination demonstrated faster epithelialization in wounds treated with TOE. The study suggests that sustained high levels of oxygen released by TOE may promote the process of wound repair through increasing collagen deposition and angiogenesis as well as stimulating epithelialization.

Our data demonstrate that TOE enhances burn wound healing via stimulating the expression of VEGF and type III collagen and strongly indicates the potential use of TOE in wounds.

Under normal circumstances, keratinocytes overexpress elafin to downregulate a neutrophil mediated inflammatory response. The deficient expression of elafin in the aforementioned probed DH specimens correlates with previous similar elafin underexpression in intestinal samples of active CD. These histological findings suggest that these 2 gluten mediated disorders carry an abnormal elafin underexpression during disease activity.

In biopsies taken in a clinical setting, even in the absence of the characteristic subepidermal pustule, the diagnosis of imported fire ant sting can be suspected if there is a superficial and deep perivascular, periadnexal and interstitial infiltrate composed of neutrophils, with some basophilic denaturation of collagen.