Pharmacological Mobilization and Recruitment of Bone Marrow Stem Cells Accelerates Diabetic Wound Healing in Rats with Diabetic Complications

In a study conducted by Le Qi, Qing Lin, and Zhaoli Sun in 2019, they explored the potential of pharmacologically mobilizing and recruiting bone marrow stem cells to improve diabetic wound healing (DWH) in rats. The study used Type 2 (T2) GK rats and STZ-induced Type 1 (T1) diabetic SD rats. The rats were divided into two groups, one receiving saline and the other a combination of AMD3100 (1mg/kg) and FK506 (0.1mg/kg) after wounding and every 2 days until complete healing. The results showed that the back wound healing time was reduced from 27 to 19 days and the foot wound healing time from 25 to 20 days in T1DM rats treated with the AMD3100 and FK506 combination. Similarly, the back wound healing time was reduced from 26 to 21 days in GK rats. The healing was accompanied by reduced scarring and regeneration of hair follicles. The therapy mobilized bone marrow stem cells to peripheral blood and recruited bone marrow-derived CD31+CD133+ endothelial progenitor cells, CD34+ stem cells, and Ym1/2+ M2 macrophages into the wound sites, enhancing capillary and hair follicle neogenesis. The study concluded that the combination of AMD3100 and low-dose FK506 resulted in better and faster healing of diabetic wounds in rats with diabetic peripheral artery disease and neuropathy.