Triiodothyronine promotes skin wound healing in mice by activating cGAS-STING signaling pathway and regulating inflammation phase
10.3969/j.issn.1000-4718.2025.01.013
- VernacularTitle:三碘甲状腺原氨酸通过激活cGAS-STING信号通路调控炎症时相而促进小鼠皮肤伤口愈合
- Author:
Ling YIN
1
;
Zhirong MAO
;
Junli WU
;
Fang LIU
;
Xiaoqing GAO
Author Information
1. 西南医科大学公共实验技术中心,四川 泸州 646000;血流动力学医工结合泸州市重点实验室,四川 泸州 646000
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
triiodothyronine;
wound healing;
cGAS-STING signaling pathway;
inflammation;
macrophage;
chemokines
- From:
Chinese Journal of Pathophysiology
2025;41(1):104-113
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
AIM:This study aims to investigate whether triiodothyronine(T3)can enhance skin wound heal-ing by activating the the cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase(cGAS)-stimulator of inter-feron genes(STING)signaling pathway to modulate the inflammatory phase.METHODS:Mice were randomly assigned to five groups:normal,control,T3,RU.521+T3,and RU.521(a cGAS inhibitor).With the exception of the normal group,a full-thickness skin defect model was established in the other groups.Wound healing was observed daily.Mice were euthanized on post-injury days 1,2,4,7,and 10,with five mice per group.Pathological changes and collagen fiber formation were assessed using hematoxylin-eosin(HE)and Masson staining,respectively.Immunohistochemical staining was performed to evaluate the expression of cGAS,STING,mouse EGF-like module-containing mucin-like hormone recep-tor-like 1(EMR1 or F4/80),C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8(CXCL-8),and CXCL-10.Western blotting was conducted to measure protein levels of cGAS,STING,C-C motif chemokine ligand-2(CCL-2),and nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB).En-zyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was utilized to quantify the levels of interferon-β(IFN-β),interleukin-6(IL-6),and tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α).RESULTS:From days 1 to 4 post-injury,the wound healing rate and collagen fiber formation in the T3 group were significantly greater than those in the control,RU.521+T3,and RU.521 groups(P<0.05).Additionally,the T3 group displayed more favorable pathological changes compared to the other groups.No ex-pression of cGAS and STING was observed in the normal group,while low levels were found in the RU.521+T3 and RU.521 groups.The T3 and control groups exhibited higher expression levels,with the T3 group showing significantly ele-vated expression on days 1 to 4 post-injury(P<0.05)but lower expression on day 7 compared to the control group(P<0.05).The expression of the macrophage marker F4/80 was higher in the T3 group compared to the control,RU.521+T3,and RU.521 groups on days 1 to 7 post-injury(P<0.05).Furthermore,chemokines CXCL-8,CXCL-10,and CCL-2 showed increased levels in the T3 group on days 1 to 2 or 1 to 4 post-injury(P<0.05)but were lower at other time points(P<0.05)compared with the control,RU.521+T3,and RU.521 groups.Additionally,the levels of pro-inflammatory fac-tors IFN-β,IL-6,TNF-α,and NF-κB in the T3 group were significantly higher on day 1 post-injury(P<0.05),while lev-els on days 2 to 7 were lower compared to the control,RU.521+T3,and RU.521 groups(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:T3 accelerates the healing of impaired skin wounds,potentially through the enhanced activation of the cGAS-STING signal-ing pathway.This process increases the expression of chemokines and pro-inflammatory factors and promotes macrophage recruitment during the early post-injury phase,ultimately regulating the inflammatory response.