MC1R determines healing outcomes in acute and chronic cutaneous wounds

Significance Chronic wounds (CWs) are a major healthcare challenge, characterized by persistent inflammation that fails to resolve naturally. We found that dysregulation of the proresolving POMC–MC1R pathway is a common feature across different types of CWs including diabetic ulcers and pressure sores. Using a mouse model that replicates human CWs, we demonstrated that targeting MC1R with a topical drug promotes healing by improving blood vessel formation, reducing neutrophil recruitment and NET formation to restore tissue repair. By identifying MC1R as a central regulator of wound repair, we provide a promising therapeutic strategy that could benefit millions of patients suffering from nonhealing wounds.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

• Publication date

  2025-11-11

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1073/pnas.2503308122PMID 41218117PMCID 12646273
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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