Control of fibrosis and hypertrophic scar formation via glycolysis regulation with IR780

Background:Hypertrophic scars(HS)represent one of the most common clinical challenges due to unsatisfactory therapeutic results.HS formation is associated with the abnormal activation of fibroblasts and their excessive fibrotic behavior.Glycolysis dysregulation has been shown to participate in the incidence and progression of various fibrotic diseases and shows potential as a means of controlling HS formation.This work aimed to discuss the impact of augmented glycolysis on HS and to propose a method for controlling HS formation through glycolysis regulation.Methods:Here,augmented glycolysis was confirmed together with enhanced fibrotic activity in both HS fibroblasts(HFs)and HS tissues,and the suppression of glycolysis also attenuated fibroblast activation.We also introduced IR780,a heptamethine cyanine dye,to regulate glycolysis for the control of HS formation.Results:In vitro,cell studies indicated that IR780 significantly down-regulated glycolysis and suppressed the fibrotic activity of HFs.In vivo,the intralesional injection of IR780 into rabbit HS models led to the downregulation of glycolysis and the control of HS formation.Furthermore,IR780 accumulated preferentially in activated fibroblasts in both in vitro and in vivo studies,and thus specifically downregulated glycolysis and efficiently controlled fibrosis by targeting activated fibroblasts.Conclusions:This work identified a strategy for controlling fibrosis and HS formation from the perspective of glycolysis regulation with IR780 targeting of activated fibroblasts.

Localized surface plasmon resonance improves transdermal photodynamic therapy of hypertrophic scars

Photodynamic therapy(PDT)is an emerging therapeutic strategy for hypertrophic scars(HS),which is heavily dependent on reactive oxygen species(ROS)generation.However,the unsatisfactory delivery and excitation of 5-aminolevulinic acid(ALA,a commercial photosensitizer in dermatology)result in an insufficient ROS generation,and thus limit the clinical application of PDT treating HS(HS-PDT).Consequently,sophisticated transdermal co-delivery nanoethosomes(named A/A-ES)with ALA and Au nanotriangles(AuNTs)in cores are prepared via an in-situ seed-mediated growth method,and then applied to improve HS-PDT through localized surface plasmon resonance(LSPR)-enhanced ROS generation.A/A-ES display a satisfactory performance in co-delivery in HS tissue with sufficient protoporphyrin IX production and LSPR effect in cytoplasm,which is beneficial for ALA excitation as well as ROS generation.In vitrolvivo studies reveal that A/A-ES significantly improve HS-PDT in promoting to fibroblast apoptosis and collagen remodeling through LSPR-enhanced ROS generation.Therefore,this study provides a feasible strategy that integrates transdermal delivery and LSPR to enable the beneficial effects of HS-PDT through boosting the delivery and excitation of ALA.