Role of Fibroblast DPP4 in Wound Healing, Scarring, and Regeneration

    April 2018 in “ Journal of Investigative Dermatology ”
    R.A. Ferrer, M.D. Ordieres, Sandra Franz, Yingying Zheng, George Cotsarelis, Jan C. Simon
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    Studysummary In this animal study, the researchers found that DPP4 plays a crucial role in scar formation and wound-induced hair follicle neogenesis in mice, impacting regenerative repair. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
    The study investigated the role of fibroblast Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 (DPP4) in wound healing and found that DPP4 is upregulated in the early stages of wounding but decreases during Wnt-activity and fibrogenic differentiation. Blocking DPP4 early in the wound healing process prevented wound induced hair follicle neogenesis (WIHN) and increased dermal thickness, whereas reduced DPP4 activity at later stages led to increased WIHN, indicating regenerative repair. These results suggest that DPP4 is crucial in scarring and regeneration, and understanding its mechanisms could lead to better skin regeneration therapies.
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