Exploring the in vivo wound healing effects of a recombinant hemolin from the caterpillar Lonomia obliqua

• Published in: Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases
• Main Authors: Ana Claudia Sato, Rosemary Viola Bosch, Sonia Elisabete Alves Will, Miryam Paola Alvarez-Flores, Mauricio Barbugiani Goldfeder, Kerly Fernanda Mesquita Pasqualoto, Bárbara Athayde Vaz Galvão da Silva, Sonia Aparecida de Andrade, Ana Marisa Chudzinski-Tavassi
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SciELO 2017
• Subjects: Hemolin; rLosac; Wound healing; Collagen; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Toxicology. Poisons; RA1190-1270; Zoology; QL1-991; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40409-016-0093-4; https://doaj.org/article/52aadd58a2ff40aba4cbf183f724eb06

Abstract Background Hemolin proteins are cell adhesion molecules from lepidopterans involved in a wide range of cell interactions concerning their adhesion properties. However, hemolin’s roles in cell proliferation and wound healing are not fully elucidated. It has been recently reported that rLosac, a recombinant hemolin from the caterpillar Lonomia obliqua, presents antiapoptotic activity and is capable of improving in vitro wound healing. Therefore, this study aimed to explore rLosac’s in vivo effects using a skin wound healing model in rats. Methods Circular full-thickness wounds in the rat dorsum skin were treated either with rLosac, or with saline (control), allowing healing by keeping the wounds occluded and moist. During the wound healing, the following tissue regeneration parameters were evaluated: wound closure and collagen content. Furthermore, tissue sections were subjected to histological and immunohistochemical analyses. Results The rLosac treatment has demonstrated its capacity to improve wound healing, as reflected in findings of a larger number of activated fibroblasts, proliferation of epithelial cells, increase of collagen type 1, and decrease of inflammatory infiltrate. Conclusion The findings have indicated the rLosac protein as a very promising molecule for the development of new wound-healing formulations.