title: Sodium humate accelerates cutaneous wound healing by activating TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway in rats.
abstract: Sodium humate (HA-Na) has been topically used as a wound healing and anti-inflammatory agent in folk medicine. In the present study, HA-Na was investigated for cutaneous wound healing in Sprague-Dawley rats. HA-Na solution (1.0%, w/v) was topically administered to rats undergoing excision wound models. Healing was assessed with a recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor for external use as positive control. Wound healing rates were calculated on Day 3, 6, 9, 14 and 21 after injury, and tissues were also harvested after the same intervals for histological analysis. In addition, tissue hydroxyproline levels were measured. Furthermore, mRNA levels and protein expressions of transforming growth factor-β1, 2, 3 (TGF-β1, 2, 3) were determined by RT-PCR and western blot. Protein expression levels of Smad-2, -3, -4 and -7 were also detected by western blot. Our study demonstrates that HA-Na has the capacity to promote wound healing in rats via accelerated wound contraction and increased hydroxyproline content. More importantly, these wound healing effects of HA-Na might be mediated through the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. HA-Na may be an effective agent for enhanced wound healing.
authors.affiliation: Scientific Research Center, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi׳an Jiaotong University, Xi׳an 710004, China.
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi׳an Jiaotong University, Xi׳an 710004, China.
authors.forename: Aijun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi׳an Jiaotong University, Xi׳an 710004, China.
authors.forename: Xiaobin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi׳an Jiaotong University, Xi׳an 710004, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoxia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Che
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi׳an Jiaotong University, Xi׳an 710004, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of VIP General Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi׳an Jiaotong University, Xi׳an 710004, China.
authors.forename: Zhidong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: Rat; Smad; Sodium humate; Transforming growth    factor-β; Wound healing