FRIDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Skin ulcers in diabetic mice demonstrated dramatic improvement with applications of antibodies aimed at neutralizing tumor necrosis factor (TNF), according to a German study published in the September issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
Itamar Goren, of the Klinikum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitat in Frankfurt, Germany, and colleagues treated wounded diabetic, obese mice with injections of monoclonal antibodies against TNF-alpha (V1q) and the monocyte/macrophage-specific F4/80 rat monoclonal antibody at seven, nine and 11 days post-injury. Leptin or non-specific immunoglobulin G treatments were administered to controls.
A general resolution of chronic wound conditions was observed in the antibody-treated mice, which included a significant reduction of persistent scabs, reduced wound area, reduced inflammation, epithelial coverage and the formation of dense neo-dermis. The two antibodies were associated with an approximately 50 percent to 60 percent reduction of wound macrophages in the wound tissue, and remaining macrophages appeared to be in a deactivated state.
"In summary, our observations indicate a pivotal role for activated macrophages in the development of diabetes-impaired wound healing and strongly suggest a pharmacologic targeting of those activated macrophages as a promising therapeutic approach to improved impaired wound-healing conditions in general," the authors conclude.
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