Topical treatment with Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) in the healing of skin wounds in diabetic mice

• Grant number: 24/13281-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nursing
• Principal Investigator: Eliana Pereira de Araujo
• Grantee: Jéssica dos Santos Jacinto
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Enfermagem. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The tissue healing process is quite complex in which the proper action of various cell types, enzymes, cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors is required. Diseases such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, infections and aging itself can delay the healing of the wound and bring even greater aggravation to the individual. At the moment there are many products that help in the healing of skin lesions, however, the problem is still far from being solved. Ursodeoxycholic acid is a naturally occurring hydrophilic bile acid that, when conjugated with taurine, gives rise to tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) and has been indicated for the treatment of several diseases. In diabetes mellitus, TUDCA improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, while also improving peripheral neuropathy. Emerging studies have shown that it improves the stress response of endoplasmic reticulum, apoptosis, and inflammation. In the wound healing process, a study has shown that it decreases the formation of keloids. Our objectives are to evaluate the effect of topical treatment with TUDCA incorporated into the hydrogel on the healing of skin wounds in diabetic mice. For this, we will initially use keratinocyte and fibroblast culture (HaCaT and BJ-5ta, respectively), with which we will use viability assays, wound assay scracth and flow cytometry. We will use a wound model in C57BL6 diabetic mice, which will be followed by photographic recording, morphological studies, immonolabeling, western blotting, and real-time PCR. For the statistical analyses, we will use Student's t-test for independent samples, and for dependent samples, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's test.