Skin wound healing mechanisms and new ways of improving their efficiency represent an important focus in medicine. In this regard, regulatory peptides, which exhibit physiological polyfunctionality and modulate cell growth and differentiation, are of special interest. This study evaluates the effects of Gly-His-Lys (GHK) and Gly-His-Lys-D-Ala (GHK-D-Ala) peptides in the infected skin wound healing. The wounds were modeled in rats (n=150) by full-thickness dorsal skin defects. The peptides were administered intracutaneously at daily doses of 0.5 or 1.5 µg/kg. The healing was assessed on days 3, 7, and 10 by histomorphometric examination of the wounds with adjacent intact skin. GHK-D-Ala administered at daily doses of 0.5 µg/kg had pronounced positive effect on regeneration processes in the wound, as indicated by significantly reduced numbers of granulocytes and lymphocytes with increased representation of fibroblastic lineages and macrophages, and the resulting higher cellular index (p < 0.05–0.001). At higher doses of GHK-D-Ala (1.5 µg/kg), the beneficial effects were less pronounced. According to the comparative morphological examination, the highest positive effect was achieved with 0.5 µg/kg of GHK-D-Ala. Thus, local administration of the GHK peptide with extra D-alanine at carboxy-terminus significantly mitigated the inflammatory reaction and facilitated the healing of infected skin wounds in rat model.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.