Osteopontin expression in healing wounds of horses and in human keloids.
Abstract: Convincing evidence shows that persistent or excessive expression of osteopontin (OPN) is linked to fibroproliferation of various organs in laboratory animals and in man, such that its downregulation is a logical therapeutic objective. Objective: To investigate OPN expression in an equine model of wound healing and in clinical specimens of equine exuberant granulation tissue and human keloids in an effort to better understand the contribution of this protein to inflammation-associated skin fibrosis. Methods: Description of gene and protein expression in an experimental equine model of wound healing and clinical specimens in horse and man. Methods: Osteopontin gene expression was evaluated by quantitative PCR, while protein expression was investigated by means of immunohistochemical staining. Results: Quantitative PCR showed that the OPN gene is expressed in normal intact skin of horses and continues to be expressed during the wound-healing process. An increase in gene expression was observed throughout the phases of wound healing, with a final decrease at wound closure. The protein was not detected in normal skin. Keratinocytes in wound-edge samples did not express the protein, whereas dermal immunoreactivity was confined to inflammatory cells. Healed wounds were devoid of staining. Equine exuberant granulation tissue showed immunoreactivity of the surrounding epidermis, infiltrating neutrophils, mononuclear cells, endothelial cells and fibroblasts. Human keloids showed OPN immunoreactivity throughout the epidermis as well as in mononuclear cells and scattered fibroblasts. Conclusions: Immunohistochemical data show a different pattern of expression between normally healing and fibrotic wounds (exuberant granulation tissue and keloids), thus suggesting a role in fibroproliferation in horses and man.
© 2014 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2014-12-18 PubMed ID: 25290989DOI: 10.1111/evj.12372Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research investigates the role of osteopontin, a protein, in wound healing and fibrosis in both horses and humans. It was observed that osteopontin is consistently present during the wound healing process and may contribute to conditions of skin fibrosis.
Objective of the Study
- The main goal of this research was to explore the role of osteopontin, a protein usually linked to excess fibroproliferation, during wound healing in horses and humans.
- The researchers aimed to uncover how osteopontin contributes to skin inflammation and fibrosis, which would help in developing therapeutic approaches targeting this protein.
Methodology
- The study used an equine model for wound healing and also analyzed clinical samples from horses and humans.
- The researchers tracked the activity of the osteopontin (OPN) gene by using quantitative PCR, a method to analyze gene expression.
- Further, they applied immunohistochemical staining to investigate the presence and location of the osteopontin protein in the samples.
Results
- It was found that the OPN gene is consistently active in the normal skin of horses and remains active during the wound healing process.
- There was a marked increase in the gene activity during all the phases of wound healing, only decreasing when the wound completely healed.
- The protein was not found in normal skin samples. Only the inflammatory cells in the dermis, and not the keratinocytes at the wound edge, exhibited the protein.
- Both equine exuberant granulation tissue and human keloids showed osteopontin activity in their epidermis, neutrophils, mononuclear cells and fibroblasts.
Conclusions
- The study proves that the expression pattern of osteopontin differs in normally healing wounds and fibrotic wounds (exuberant granulation tissue and keloids) in horses and humans.
- This finding reveals osteopontin’s role in promoting fibroproliferation, implying a potential focus area for skin inflammation and fibrosis therapies.
Cite This Article
APA
Miragliotta V, Pirone A, Donadio E, Abramo F, Ricciardi MP, Theoret CL.
(2014).
Osteopontin expression in healing wounds of horses and in human keloids.
Equine Vet J, 48(1), 72-77.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12372 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Biomedicine, University of Montreal, Q, Canada.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Gene Expression Regulation / physiology
- Horses / metabolism
- Humans
- Keloid / metabolism
- Osteopontin / genetics
- Osteopontin / metabolism
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Wound Healing / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- Xu W, Bi Z, Lu L, Feng F, Chen L, Zhang C. Role of osteopontin in cancer: From pathogenesis to therapeutics (Review). Oncol Rep 2025 Nov;54(5).
- Xia Y, Wang Y, Shan M, Hao Y, Liu H, Chen Q, Liang Z. Advances in the pathogenesis and clinical application prospects of tumor biomolecules in keloid. Burns Trauma 2022;10:tkac025.
- Tan S, Khumalo N, Bayat A. Understanding Keloid Pathobiology From a Quasi-Neoplastic Perspective: Less of a Scar and More of a Chronic Inflammatory Disease With Cancer-Like Tendencies. Front Immunol 2019;10:1810.
- Kamus L, Rameau M, Theoret C. Feasibility of a disposable canister-free negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) device for treating open wounds in horses. BMC Vet Res 2019 Mar 6;15(1):78.
- Baird A, Lindsay T, Everett A, Iyemere V, Paterson YZ, McClellan A, Henson FMD, Guest DJ. Osteoblast differentiation of equine induced pluripotent stem cells. Biol Open 2018 May 10;7(5).
- Wei R, Wong JPC, Kwok HF. Osteopontin -- a promising biomarker for cancer therapy. J Cancer 2017;8(12):2173-2183.
- Wu J, Wang Z. Osteopontin improves adhesion and migration of human primary renal cortical epithelial cells during wound healing. Oncol Lett 2016 Dec;12(6):4556-4560.
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