Sodium Butyrate Plus EGF and PDGF-BB Aids Cutaneous Wound Healing in Diabetic Mice

Topical application of growth factors is known to aid defective and/or delayed wound healing in diabetic patients. In this study, the effect of topical application of sodium butyrate (Na-Bu), EGF, and PDGF-BB was analysed on the acute cutaneous wound healing in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic mouse model. Two cutaneous wounds were created, one on each of the dorsolateral sides of the diabetic mice. Na-Bu, EGF, and PDGF-BB were applied to the wound either individually or in various combinations. The wound healing was monitored visually and scored as percentage wound closure. The tissue samples were collected from the wound site at 1, 7, and 14 days after wounding from the treated and untreated diabetic wounds and analysed for the levels of EGF-R, β-PDGF-R, HDAC1, p21, and phosphorylated and hypophosphorylated pRb proteins. Our results indicate that application of EGF plus PDGF-BB at the initial stages followed by subsequent addition of Na-Bu along with these growth factors helps wound healing in diabetic mice. It appears that, in addition to cell proliferative agents, a cell differentiation agent, Na-Bu, is necessary for diabetic wound healing. Topical application of EGF plus PDGF-BB along with Na-Bu could be developed as therapeutic agents to treat and manage human diabetic wounds.