Evaluation of melatonin, galectin-3, TGF-β1, and NF-κB in hypertrophic scar patients

ABSTRACT

A hypertrophic scar (HTS) is a fibrotic proliferative tissue that develops following extensive skin trauma. HTS is defined by aberrant fibroblast proliferation and excessive collagen deposition. Nowadays, the most common therapies for HTS are pressure therapy, surgical excision, and corticosteroid injection, yet these approaches have limitations or side effects. Thus, developing novel approaches to treat hypertrophic scars has emerged as a focal point for wound healing research in recent years. This case-control study included 80 participants, divided into two groups. Group 1 included 40 HTS patients, and Group 2 had 40 age-matched healthy volunteers as controls. We are the first to assess blood levels of melatonin (MLT) and galectin-3 (Gal-3), as well as transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β1) and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), in HTS patients to understand the scarring mechanism and identify new therapeutic techniques. The study’s main finding is that HTS patients had significantly higher Gal-3 levels, TGF-β1, NF-kB expression, and substantially lower MLT levels than the control group. These findings collectively suggested that MLT may considerably reduce Gal-3, TGF-β1, and NF-κB levels in patients with hypertrophic scars. Therefore, it could be a practical therapeutic approach for hypertrophic scarring.

KEYWORDS:

• Melatonin
• galectin-3
• hypertrophic scar
• TGF-β1
• NF-κB

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)

Authors’ contributions

AA and MS: conceptualization and methodology.

MA, MS, and NO: writing – original draft preparation.

AA and MS: Review and edit the final manuscript.

MA and NO: taking the skin biopsy.

MS and ZM analyzed and interpreted the laboratory data.

All authors have read and agreed on the final manuscript.

Availability of data and materials

Data and materials are available on demand through the corresponding author.

Ethics approval and participation consent

Every patient provided informed consent to the procedures.

With permission from the Scientific Research Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Medicine at Sohag University, the study methodology was carried out following the Declaration of Helsinki (approved number: Soh-Med-21-09-51).

List of abbreviations

ECM	=	extracellular matrix
Gal-3	=	Galectin-3
ROS	=	Reactive oxygen species
MLT	=	Melatonin
HTS	=	Hypertrophic scar
TGF-β1	=	Transforming growth factor beta
NF-κB	=	Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells
GSH	=	Glutathione
JAK	=	Janus kinase
STAT	=	Signal transducer and activator of transcription
PKC	=	Protein kinase C
α-SMA	=	Smooth muscle actin
PAI-1	=	Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1
HFL1	=	Fetal lung fibroblast
RCTs	=	Randomized controlled trials
TBST	=	Tris-buffered saline with 0.1% 20 detergent

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.