Abstract

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is the protein responsible for the development and maintenance of sensory skin innervation. Given the role of appropriate innervation in skin healing, NGF has been indicated as a possible prohealing treatment in pathologic conditions characterized by nerve-ending loss, such as chronic ulcers in diabetes; however, its use as a therapeutic agent is limited by its hyperalgesic effect. We tested the effect of topical application of the nonalgogenic NGF derivative hNGFP61S/R100E in two models of skin ulcer induced in dbdb diabetic mice, investigating healing time, skin histology, reinnervation, and angiogenesis using morphologic and molecular approaches. We showed that the topical administration of CHF6467, a recombinant human NGF in which an amino acid substitution (R100E) abolished the hyperalgesic effect usually associated with NGF, accelerated skin repair in experimental wounds (full-excision and pressure-ulcer) induced in diabetic mice (dbdb). CHF6467-induced acceleration of wound healing was accompanied by increased re-epithelization, reinnervation, and revascularization as assessed by histology, immunohistochemistry, and image analysis. Bioinformatic analysis of differentially expressed genes and signaling pathways in the wound tissues showed that protein kinase B–mammalian target of rapamycin was the most regulated pathway. In spite of the transdermal absorption leading to measurable, dose-dependent increases in CHF6467 plasma levels, no systemic thermal or local mechanical hyperalgesia was observed in treated mice. When tested in vitro in human cell lines, CHF6467 stimulated keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation and tube formation by endothelial cells. Collectively, these results support a possible use of CHF6467 as a prohealing agent in skin lesions in diabetes.