The Effect of Mitochondrially Targeted Antioxidants on Wound Healing of Human Dermal Fibroblasts

• Published in: The FASEB journal 2022-05, Vol.36 (S1), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Carney, Jessica M., Flateland, Megan L., Hetland, Brynn L., Renquist, Kevin J., Owens, Kjerstin M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0892-6638; 1530-6860
• DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.2022.36.S1.R4276

Oxidative stress is known to be a destructive result of wounded tissues and is thought to be a source of delayed wound healing; however, the relationship between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and wound repair is not completely known. We hypothesized that the use of mitochondrially targeted antioxidants will increase the rate of wound healing of normal skin fibroblasts by decreasing steady‐state levels of reactive oxygen species at the wound site. Scratch assays showed that ROS accumulation was prominent at the wound site and increased overtime several hours. Cells were treated with mitochondrially targeted antioxidants and their nontargeted counterparts. Treatment with antioxidants decreased ROS levels in wounded and unwounded cells and increased the rate of wound healing. Finding a correlation between ROS and wound healing and how they are affected by antioxidants will offer an increased understanding of the biological process of wound healing and may propose therapeutic options to promote healing efficacy.