Role of Nitric Oxide in Wound Healing

Abstract

Chronic wounds mainly affect elderly individuals and persons with comorbid diseases due to a compromised immune status. An age-related decline in immune function deters proper healing of wounds in an orderly and timely manner. Thus, older adults with 1 or more concomitant illnesses are more likely to experience and sufferfrom a nonhealing wound, which may drastically decrease their quality of life and financial resources. Novel therapies in wound care management rely heavily on our current knowledge of wound healing physiology. It is well established that normal wound healing occurs sequentially and is strictly regulated by pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. A multitude of commercial products such as growth factors are available; however, their effectiveness in healing chronic wounds has yet to be proven. Recently, investigators have implicated nitric oxide (NO) in the exertion of regulatoryforces on various cellular activities of the inflammatory and proliferative phases of wound healing. Gene therapy in animal studies has shown promising results and is furthering our understanding of impaired wound healing. The purpose of this article is to review the literature on NO and its role in wound healing. A discussion of the physiology of normal healing and the pathophysiology of chronic wounds is provided.

Basics and Biomedical Applications of Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD)

“…Nitric oxide is also synthesized by skin cells during the wound healing process. This molecule plays important biological functions in the human skin as a "signaling" molecule and mediates cellular activities not only during the proliferative phase but also throughout the wound healing process (BruchGerhurz, 1998, Cals-Grierson, 2004& Childress, 2002. The low nitric oxide flux could be useful for assisting the skin cells during the different phases of wound-healing.…”

Wound healing potential of naringin ointment formulation via regulating the expression of inflammatory, apoptotic and growth mediators in experimental rats

“…The trend in increased PMNL infiltration was confirmed in the histological assessment of wound skin tissue from vehicle control rats. NO is an integral part of the inflammatory phase and possesses cytotoxic properties involved in regulatory mechanisms to mediate epithelialization, angiogenesis, and collagen deposition crucial to the proliferative phase (Childress & Stechmiller, 2002). Naringin treatment decreased MDA, NO, and MPO levels which favor inhibition of oxidative conditions and a faster rate of wound closure.…”

Honey: A Potential Therapeutic Agent for Managing Diabetic Wounds

“…NO is very active in the proliferative stages during wound healing in patients [98, 99]. Nitric oxide is able to reverse healing impairment in diabetic patients [100].…”