Comparative study of connexins expression in diabetic and nondiabetic wounds

Abstract

Wound healing is the synchronized interplay of interaction of several cellular and biochemical components. In case of diabetes this normal course of wound healing is delayed. The mechanism behind the delayed wound healing in diabetes remains unexplored. The passage of various apoptotic and inflammatory signals via gap junctions play an important role in tissue remodeling during diabetic wound healing. In this study, we compared the expression of the following connexins (Cx) namely Cx26, Cx30.3, Cx31, Cx31.1, Cx37, Cx40, Cx43 in diabetic and non-diabetic wounds. A significant increase in the levels of Cx26, Cx30.3, Cx31, Cx31.1, Cx43 with the commencement of wound repair was observed in diabetic wounds as compared to non-diabetic wounds. In contrast, Cx37 and Cx40 were not expressed in either in diabetic or non diabetic wounds. The results of this study suggest that cellular cross talking via gap junctions is as much vital during proper wound healing, and an up regulated connexin expression might leads to improper gap junctions formation attributing to the passage of various, apoptotic and inflammatory signals thereby resulting in delayed healing of chronic diabetic ulcers.