Analysis of cellular retinoic acid binding protein 2 expression in dermal fibroblasts; role in non-healing of chronic wounds

Abstract: Abstract Chronic, non-healing wounds constitute a massive financial burden on health care system. The healing processes of these wounds and their underlying pathology are only partly understood. In this study, important biological functions performed by Retinoic acid with its regulatory protein cellular retinoic acid binding protein 2 (CRABP2) were discussed. Possibly, these biological func-tions might be linked with chronic wound therapeutic by inducing antiproliferative activity of cells which leads to reduction in migration and growth rate of fibroblast during skin regeneration pro-cess in chronic wound healing. The aim of this study was to comparatively analyze the expression pattern of CRABP2 and P16 cyclic dependent kinase inhibitor in dermal fibroblasts at mRNA levels along with their morphological pattern, migration and growth rate. Fibroblasts were cultured and their morphology were observed by phase-contrast imaging. Difference in viability, migratory capacity was examined by Cell titer blue and scratch assay respectively and expression were meas-ured by polymerase chain reaction. Interestingly, the date revealed that morphology was altered and growth rate and migration velocity was significantly lower in chronic wound fibroblasts and senescent fibroblasts when compared with their control. Expression pattern revealed that CRABP2 was highly up-regulated only by senescent cells but not in chronic wound fibroblasts which point novel function for this protein in term of replicative senescence. However, P16 was not signifi-cantly altered among all fibroblasts which demands supplementary studies to conform the role of CRABP2 in fibroblast dysfunction and cellular senescence in chronic wounds.