Wnt4 Increases the Thickness of the Epidermis in Burn Wounds by Activating Canonical Wnt Signalling and Decreasing Cell Junctions Between Epidermal Cells

The study explored the role of Wnt4, a protein, in burn wound healing. It was discovered that overexpression of Wnt4 increased the thickness of the epidermis in burn wounds, potentially improving the quality of healing. This effect is likely due to Wnt4's activation of the canonical Wnt signalling pathway and its reduction of cell junctions between epidermal cells. However, Wnt4 overexpression did not significantly impact collagen secretion, vessel formation, or fibroblast distribution. When Wnt4 was reduced in HaCaT skin cells, cell proliferation decreased and apoptosis increased, suggesting Wnt4's role in cell migration during wound healing. The authors suggest that Wnt4 could be a potential target for improving burn wound healing, but note that these findings should be validated in human samples.