Palmitoleic acid in diabetic wound healing: a translational study

• Grant number: 24/18496-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Biochemical and Molecular Pharmacology
• Principal Investigator: Elaine Hatanaka Dermargos
• Grantee: Matheus Gennari Felipe
• Supervisor: Aristidis Veves
• Host Institution: Pró-Reitoria de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa. Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul (UNICSUL). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Harvard University, Boston, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/03741-3 - Effects of palmitoleic acid on wound healing in type 2 (Goto-Kakizaki) and 1 (Wistar injected with streptozotocin) diabetic rats, BP.DR

Abstract

Diabetic wounds are a worldwide public health problem impacting patients' quality of life. The difficulty in tissue repair in diabetics is due to factors such as the presence of glycated proteins, poor perfusion, peripheral neuropathy, leukocyte dysfunction, and chronic inflammation. Experimental models for diabetes research include genetically modified animals, obesogenic diet regimes, and induction by drugs such as streptozotocin. They are essential for understanding the pathogenesis and progression of the disease and extrapolating their results to humans. The Goto-Kakizaki and streptozotocin-treated Wistar rats allow us to investigate the complex multisystem interactions of wound healing in diabetes and test different types of topical treatments for healing. In this sense, palmitoleic acid is a promising agent in treating wounds because, in addition to the biological effects, it has a low cost, maintains skin hydration, and facilitates changing dressings. We demonstrated that topical application of the acid has anti-inflammatory and healing action, decreasing the inflammation induced in neutrophils and modulating the signaling triggered by keratinocytes. This study aims to compare, through in vivo and in vitro studies, the phases of the wound healing process between the Goto-Kakizaki (DM2) and streptozotocin-induced Wistar (DM1) diabetic rat models treated and not treated with palmitoleic acid.