Proteomic analysis reveals the mechanism that low molecular weight hyaluronic acid enhances cell migration in keratinocyte

J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2024 Nov 15:250:116402. doi: 10.1016/j.jpba.2024.116402. Epub 2024 Aug 6.

Abstract

Hyaluronic acid (HA), as an extracellular matrix, is known to promote wound healing, and its bioactivity is affected by molecular weight. However, the mechanism of LMW-HA on cells migration remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of LMW-HA on cells migration and the underlying mechanism by employing proteomics. The scratch assay showed that LMW-HA can significantly enhance the migration of keratinocytes in vitro, and ten differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were found to be associated with wound healing through proteomics and network pharmacology. The result of bioinformatic analysis indicated that these DEPs are involved in positive regulation of cell motility and cellular component movement. Moreover, protein targets of key pathways were further validated. The findings suggest that LMW-HA can promote wound healing by accelerating epithelization via the HIF-1α/VEGF pathway, which provides new insight and reference for HA to enhance cells migration.

Keywords: Hyaluronic acid; Keratinocyte; Migration; Proteomics.

MeSH terms

  • Cell Movement* / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Hyaluronic Acid* / pharmacology
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / metabolism
  • Keratinocytes* / drug effects
  • Molecular Weight*
  • Proteomics* / methods
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / metabolism
  • Wound Healing* / drug effects

Substances

  • Hyaluronic Acid
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
  • HIF1A protein, human
  • VEGFA protein, human