Abstract
Skin is the first line of the body to resist pathogen invasion. A potentially fatal infection may result from problems with wound healing. Small molecule drugs like astragaloside IV (AS-IV) show pro-healing activities, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. Using real-time quantitative PCR and a western blot assay, the amount of gene expression was evaluated. The proliferation and migration of keratinocytes were determined by MTS and wound healing assay, respectively. The binding of lncRNA H19 to RBP protein ILF3 and the binding of ILF3 protein to CDK4 mRNA were confirmed by RNA immunoprecipitation. Treatment with AS-IV enhanced the expression of lncRNA H19, ILF3, and CDK4 and improved the proliferation and migration of keratinocytes HaCaT. Additionally, apoptosis of keratinocytes was attenuated by AS-IV. Further studies showed that both lncRNA H19 and ILF3 were important for AS-IV-mediated keratinocyte growth and migration. In addition, lncRNA H19 recruited ILF3 to increase CDK4 mRNA level and enhanced cell proliferation. We discovered a lncRNA H19/ILF3/CDK4 axis that is activated by AS-IV to promote keratinocyte migration and proliferation. These results elucidate the mechanism of action of AS-IV and justify its application in further application in wound healing treatment.