Researchers at Georgia State University in Atlanta have discovered an enzyme involved in glucose metabolism that significantly affects the early stages of wound healing, a finding that could help develop new therapeutic approaches for wounds.
When the enzyme, called pyruvate kinase M2 or PKM2, is released by immune cells, it promotes the development of new blood cells at the site of injury, according to lead author Zhi-Ren Liu, PhD.
"We could easily imagine PKM2 being used for wound dressing, " said Dr. Liu. "It could also likely be used for binding wounds. For example, when you've transplanted skin from a donor, sometimes this new skin doesn't attach well because of immune rejection, so therefore, it's easy to fail, especially if it's a large transplant. "
Dr. Liu also said PKM2 could help heal internal surgical incisions. The findings were published in the journal Wound Repair and Regeneration.