Therapeutic Role of Inter-alpha Inhibitors in Wound Healing

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant Wound healing is an intricately regulated process broadly characterized by phases of inflammation proliferation and remodeling Imbalances in any one of these phases can result in inadequate healing scar formation or in the development of chronic wounds such as diabetic ulcers Diabetic ulcers are responsible for the majority of lower extremity amputations in the world and are among the principal reasons for hospitalization of diabetic patients These chronic wounds are debilitating painful and frequently never completely heal Despite extensive research and product development to improve wound care the clinical standard of care for these lesions has been largely unchanged for decades Inter alpha Inhibitor Proteins IAIP are naturally derived molecules that serve as a crucial component of the bodyandapos s protective defenses in modulating host response to pathological insults Currently these proteins are being developed as a potent therapy to treat acute life threatening diseases such as systemic inflammatory response syndrome SIRS sepsis and Anthrax intoxication and infection in biodefense applications IAIP have been described to play an important role not only in inflammation and angiogenesis but also in the wound healing process Our recent investigations using genetically altered mice deficient in IAIP bikunin knockout mice revealed a dysregulated wound repair process due to disruption of extracellular matrix ECM reorganization Additionally we found that IAIP level is markedly decreased in the wound tissues of diabetic mice compared to non diabetic controls suggesting impaired and depleted IAIP in the diabetic wound IAIP consist of multiple subunit heavy and light chains uniquely linked by glycosaminoglycan While the IAIP light chain also called bikunin inhibits various serine proteases the heavy chains of IAIP form covalent complexes with hyaluronan to allow efficient binding to its receptors such as CD The IAIP heavy chains also known to interact with matrix cellular proteins such as vitronectin fibronectin and tenascin c to promote wound healing In this proposal we would like to develop a novel topical IAIP formulation and obtain proof of concept of efficacy of a localized IAIP treatment approach in three different experimental models of wound healing using IAIP deficient KO monogenetic diabetic and polygenetic TallyHo diabetic mice We hypothesize that IAIP will play a significant role in the wound healing process affecting epidermal regeneration as well as extracellular matrix organization If confirmed this novel topical treatment based on plasma derived IAIP can be translated readily into the clinical use for problematic and chronic wound care The localized immunomodulatory IAIP treatment might also prevent wound complication and super infection making the potential impact of this research immense PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE Problematic wounds such as diabetic ulcers are responsible for the majority of lower extremity amputations in the world and are among the principal reasons for hospitalization of diabetic patients These chronic wounds are debilitating painful and frequently never completely heal In this proposal we will develop a novel topical biological product based on natural proteins extracted from human blood As part of the components in wound healing process these proteins regulate inflammation and promote wound repair process This proposal will advance public health by developing a novel therapeutic strategy for wound care